Fairlife Lactose-Free 2% Milk: 13g Protein per Cup, Labelgrade B+ (80/100)
B+ 80 / 100 — Very low saturated fat, effectively zero sugar, and very low sodium.
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Fairlife Lactose-Free 2% Ultra-Filtered Milk pours 13 g of protein into a 240 ml cup for 120 calories (USDA FDC 2756829) — that’s about 60% more protein than ordinary 2% milk at the same calories, with roughly half the sugar (6 g, all naturally-occurring lactose, zero added) and no lactose at all. The trick is ultra-filtration: milk is pushed through fine membranes that hold back the protein and calcium while letting water and lactose pass, so the nutritious fraction is concentrated before the milk is set to 2% fat. Added lactase enzyme then breaks down whatever lactose survives the filter. The Labelgrade is B+ (80 / 100) — a clean four-item label, zero added sugar, low saturated fat, low sodium. The only thing capping the grade is per-100ml protein density (milk is ~88% water by weight); for an actual glass, bowl of cereal, or coffee, the 13 g per cup is what counts.
Why the B+
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C- | 58 / 100 | 5.4 g per 100 ml — low by weight because milk is mostly water, and that is the single thing dragging the overall grade down. But 13 g per cup is ~60% more than regular 2% and clears the FDA “high in protein” bar. Read this as a water-content artifact, not a knock on the protein itself |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 83 / 100 | Four items: ultra-filtered milk, lactase enzyme, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3. The lactase is what makes it lactose-free; the two vitamins are the standard fortification on every carton of milk. No gums, sweeteners, or additive flags |
| Saturated fat load | A | 93 / 100 | 3 g per cup (1.3 g per 100 ml) — exactly what you’d expect from a 2% milk, and well under the 20 g FDA daily ceiling |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 120 mg per cup, about 15 mg per fl oz — in line with ordinary milk and low enough to ignore for nearly any diet |
| Sugar load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 6 g per cup, every gram naturally-occurring lactose, 0 g added. Filtration has already stripped out roughly half the lactose of regular milk before it reaches the bottle |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0 g, as expected for any milk. Not a fiber source and never claims to be |
| Overall | B+ | 80 / 100 | Protein-density is the only sub-B axis; every other dimension lands A or B+. The water-driven density cap is the whole gap between this score and an A |
The grade tells an honest story: on ingredients, sugar, saturated fat, and sodium this is one of the cleaner milks on the shelf. The lone C- — protein density by weight — isn’t a formulation failure, it’s physics. Milk is mostly water, and any scoring system that ranks foods by protein-per-100g will rank a pourable liquid below a dense solid. The fix isn’t to penalize the milk twice in the prose; it’s to point at the number that actually governs how you drink it: 13 g per cup.
The macro story: more protein, less sugar, same calories
This is the one thing worth understanding about Fairlife, because it’s genuinely unusual. Ordinary 2% milk and Fairlife Lactose-Free 2% are both 120 calories a cup — but Fairlife packs ~60% more protein (13 g vs ~8 g) and about half the sugar (6 g vs ~12 g) into that identical calorie budget. Nothing was added to boost the protein and nothing artificial was used to cut the sugar. Both numbers move in the same direction from the same mechanism — ultra-filtration concentrates the protein-and-calcium fraction while letting most of the lactose (milk’s natural sugar) drain off with the water. The result is a milk that does better than regular milk on the two macros most shoppers care about, without trading anything away on calories.
Filtration plus lactase: why it’s truly lactose-free
The “lactose-free” label here is a two-stage job, not a single additive. First, the same membrane filtration that concentrates the protein physically removes a large share of the lactose — which is why the sugar count is already roughly half of regular milk’s before anything else happens. Then a single ingredient, lactase enzyme, is added to break down the small amount of milk sugar that remains into glucose and galactose, which the body absorbs without the lactose-intolerance symptoms. That’s the entire mechanism, and it’s why the ingredient list stays four items long. One honest caveat: removing the lactose does nothing about the milk protein. This is still cow’s milk — with more protein than usual — so a true milk allergy is a hard no, even though lactose intolerance is a yes.
How it stacks up against other milk
The comparison that matters for a milk is against other milk, and Fairlife’s whole pitch — “same calories, more protein, less sugar, no lactose” — only makes sense side by side:
| Per 240 ml cup | Protein | Calories | Total sugar | Added sugar | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairlife Lactose-Free 2% (this) | 13 g | 120 | 6 g | 0 g | 120 mg |
| Ordinary 2% milk (generic) | ~8 g | ~120 | ~12 g | 0 g | ~115 mg |
| Lactaid 2% lactose-free | ~8 g | ~130 | ~12 g | 0 g | ~125 mg |
| Fat-free skim milk (generic) | ~8 g | ~80 | ~12 g | 0 g | ~105 mg |
Two takeaways. Against regular 2%, Fairlife wins on the two numbers people actually shop for — protein and sugar — at the same calories. Against Lactaid, the other lactose-free option, Fairlife is the only one that also raises the protein; Lactaid just removes the lactose and leaves standard milk’s ~8 g. (Generic-milk figures are rounded label values for context, not lab-measured — the Fairlife numbers are the verified ones.) Where this milk doesn’t win: against truly dense proteins. A cup of Greek yogurt or a few ounces of cooked meat beats any milk on protein-per-gram, because, again, milk is mostly water. Fairlife is the best version of a pourable, mixable daily milk — not a substitute for solid protein.
Where this Fairlife sits in the lineup
The ~13 g protein per cup is consistent across the unflavored Fairlife filtered milks; what changes between the whole, 2%, and fat-free versions is the fat and calorie count, not the protein. This 2% bottle is the middle option: more milkfat (and the mouthfeel that comes with it) than the fat-free, fewer calories than the whole. The flavored cartons (chocolate, strawberry, vanilla) keep the protein but layer cane sugar on top — so they no longer carry the “half the sugar” advantage that makes this plain 2% notable. If a number on the carton in your hand differs from this page, trust the carton: manufacturers reformulate, and Fairlife runs several fat levels at the same protein concentration.
Ingredients
Reduced Fat Ultra-Filtered Milk, Lactase Enzyme, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2756829. The ultra-filtered milk supplies the concentrated protein and calcium; the lactase enzyme makes it lactose-free; the two vitamins are standard milk fortification.)
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 cup (240 ml)
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 cup (240 ml)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 120 |
| Protein | 13g |
| Total Fat | 4.5g |
| Saturated Fat | 3g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 6g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 6g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 120mg |
| Cholesterol | 20mg |
| Calcium | 380mg |
| Potassium | 400mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Fairlife Lactose-Free 2% Ultra-Filtered Milk · UPC 00856312002771. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in Fairlife Lactose-Free 2% milk?
13 g of protein per 240 ml cup (USDA FDC 2756829) — about 60% more than the ~8 g in a cup of ordinary 2% milk, at the same 120 calories. The per-100ml density (5.4 g) reads low only because milk is mostly water; the number that matters for a glass, a bowl of cereal, or a coffee is the 13 g per cup.
Why does Fairlife have more protein than regular milk if it starts as milk?
Ultra-filtration. The raw milk is passed through fine membranes that let water and lactose through but hold back the larger protein and calcium molecules, so the protein fraction is concentrated before the milk is standardized to 2% fat. That's how a cup ends up at 13 g protein and 380 mg calcium instead of the ~8 g and ~300 mg of ordinary 2% — same calories, denser nutrition.
Does Fairlife Lactose-Free 2% have added sugar?
No — 0 g added sugar. The 6 g of sugar per cup are all naturally-occurring lactose left in the milk, and that's already about half the ~12 g in regular 2%, because the same filtration that concentrates the protein also removes a large share of the lactose. The flavored Fairlife lines (chocolate, strawberry, vanilla) add cane sugar; this plain 2% does not.
Is it actually lactose-free, and is it safe for a milk allergy?
It's explicitly labeled lactose-free — that's the whole point of this SKU. Filtration removes most of the lactose, then the added lactase enzyme breaks down what little remains, so people with lactose intolerance generally drink it without trouble. But it is still cow's milk: anyone with a milk-protein allergy should avoid it. In fact the protein is higher than regular milk, so there is more allergen, not less.
How many calories are in a cup, and how lean is the protein?
120 calories per 240 ml cup — identical to ordinary 2% milk, but with ~5 g more protein and roughly half the sugar. That's about 9.2 calories per gram of protein, normal for a 2% milk: this is whole-food protein with the milkfat (4.5 g, 3 g of it saturated) still in, not a fat-stripped isolate.
Does it count as 'high in protein' under FDA rules?
Yes. 13 g per cup is 26% of the FDA's 50 g Daily Value, clearing the 20% threshold a product needs to carry a 'high in protein' claim. Ordinary 2% milk (~8 g, 16% DV) only qualifies for the weaker 'good source of protein.'
Is it worth the higher price over regular or Lactaid milk?
It costs more than a store-brand gallon, and that's the honest trade-off. What you pay for is two things at once that no single regular milk gives you: ~60% more protein AND no lactose, at the same calories. Lactaid removes the lactose but leaves the protein at standard milk's ~8 g; regular 2% is cheaper but has the lactose and less protein. If you want both the protein bump and the lactose gone, Fairlife is the one carton that does it.
When was this data last verified?
2026-05-31, cross-checked against fairlife.com's published Nutrition Facts. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days of a reformulation. The USDA FDC source ID is 2756829.