Danone SA, the French company that makes Activia yogurt, “noticed the body of evidence was really growing and becoming more compelling” to support the claim, according to Amanda Blechman, Danone head of health and scientific relations. In 2018, the French business sought the FDA to approve the claim.
Privately held Chobani and General Mills, the maker of Yoplait, are competitors of Danone. According to the FDA’s letter, using the claim on yogurts that have a “significant amount of added sugars could contribute empty calories to the diet.” The FDA expressed worry over this. When deciding whether to apply the claim on yogurts with a lot of added sugar, the FDA stated that it “encourages careful consideration”.
According to FDA guidelines, Yoplait’s single-serve pina colada yogurt contains 13 grams (0.5 ounce) of added sugar, which is a high percentage for a daily diet. Danone’s 0.3 ounce (nine grams) of added sugar is found in their creamy classic peach mango yogurt.
Danone filed an application for the claim with the FDA after Blechman referenced a 2014 study from the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, which indicated a higher intake of yogurt is linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
As per her statement, Danone’s FDA application referenced thirty-two studies to back up its assertion that yogurt intake lowers the incidence of type 2 diabetes, an effect that is not shown in other dairy products.
Similar claims about cranberry juice lowering the risk of recurrent UTIs and whole grains lowering the risk of diabetes have previously been approved by the FDA.
