A responsible industry

The international dairy industry has had a number of charges levelled at it over the years, ranging from animal cruelty to being responsible for child obesity. Unfortunately, a recent British strategy on childhood obesity continues to cast flavoured yogurts and fromage frais in a negative light, thus continuing the antagonistic tone towards dairy products.

No wonder Dr Judith Bryans of Dairy UK came out with the following statement last week: “It is a shame to see yogurt portrayed in a negative light again. According to National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) data used by both the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and Public Health England itself in its call for evidence, the category including yogurt, fromage frais and dairy desserts only accounts for 6% of sugar intake for children aged 4 to 10, against 14% for sugar and chocolate confectionery and 9% for cakes and pastries. Yet this strategy brings yogurt to the fore when it should be at the bottom of list. Yogurt is a nutrient-rich food and contains many other nutrients, not just sugar.”

Perhaps the calorie content may be the same as a bag of crisps, but the nutritional value of yogurt and fromage frais is far superior. Also, dairy fills you up more and contributes to strong bones and complete nutrition. We spend a lot of time in this industry defending what is a natural, healthy product, and it is both sorrowful and frustrating to see when governmental agencies lump dairy in with other, less nutritious products. People are bombarded with information in today’s marketplace, and they will not differentiate between flavoured and unflavoured yogurts – instead, they might skip it in favour of non-dairy alternatives, or toast, which has its own issues. Which would be a shame for both them and the dairy industry.