The sweetness of yogurts

The news that a study in the British Medical Journal is being used to highlight the amount of sugar in yogurts is no surprise. For years, the UK has been seeing items such as the Change4Life sugar app and its focus on the amount of sugar in a product, while ignoring the vitamins and minerals that are already present in dairy products.

That being said, the basis of the BMJ study was fairly balanced. As children do eat a lot of yogurt, the added sugar affects them more, and good nutrition from an early age is key. In the UK, it amounts to £1.7bn on yogurts and fromage frais.

I myself prefer plain Greek style yogurt and add my own fruit and oats to it, but a flavoured yogurt is sometimes handier for people, particularly for youngsters. My child has had plenty of yogurts (and continues to do so). I feel very much that these are part of his overall diet and important for his health. If a bit of added sugar gets the yogurt down, I am all for it. Plus, it’s very easy to make a smoothie with yogurt.

Meanwhile, great strides are being made. In some ways, this is a perfect time to bring out new no added sugar yogurt products. Yogurt giants such as Müller and Danone are bringing out new products with no added sugar. Also, new types such as skyr are adding excitement to the yogurt segment.

I think the final message from Diabetes UK about yogurts with is a sound one: “With entire supermarket aisles, and pages and pages of online shopping sites dedicated to yogurts, you’re bound to find one you enjoy.” And manufacturers are working harder than ever to ensure that every consumer can have the yogurt they enjoy in the format they prefer (drinking, spoonable, squeezy), with added sugar or without. Let me get my spoon.

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