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In the News: Yogurt Woes, More Tuna Talk, Haggis Smuggling

  • Dannon sued over exaggerating yogurt health claims: Dannon has been slapped with a class-action lawsuit, saying that the company falsely promotes the benefits of probiotics (the "good bacteria") in its yogurt products and tricks customers into paying more. (In related news, other food makers are jumping on the bandwagon to promote their probiotic-packed products—and not just yogurt.) [Reuters]
  • Active bacteria in yogurt tied to 24 deaths: New research reveals that 24 people died between 2004 and 2007 while consuming yogurt health drinks by companies like Yakult, and researchers have tied it to the probiotics (the "good bacteria") in yogurt as the likely culprit—the very thing that gives yogurt its good reputation. The Dutch Patient and Consumer Federation have already demanded an investigation into dairy products containing live cultures. [Telegraph]

5 Comments:

Hah! I was kinda waiting for that to happen with the yoghurt thing. When those commercials first started was I flabbergasted that they were even pulling that stunt, and I'm glad someone called them on their bluff with it.

I see that you’re writing about a lawsuit against Dannon - I work for Dannon and wanted to share our position.

All of Dannon’s claims for Activia and DanActive are completely supported by peer-reviewed science and are in accordance with all laws and regulations. Dannon’s advertising is and will continue to be absolutely truthful, and Dannon will vigorously challenge this lawsuit.

If you're interested to learn about the science behind our products, check out www.activia.com and www.danactive.com and check out a statement we released in response to this lawsuit on our website at http://www.dannon.com/about_press.aspx
Thanks,
--Michael Neuwirth
Sr. Director of Public Relations
The Dannon Company

Michael Neuwirth - are you any relation to Bobby Neuwirth?

ColdMud: nope, no relation (that I know of).

It seems to me that Dannon's claims make sense. I'm no scientist but isn't yoghurt full of all that "good bacteria" anyway? Cultures, etc? I will admit that "bifidus regularis" sounds like something that was invented at an ad agency. I recall a TV commercial many years ago that claimed an 80 year old man in Soviet Georgia ate Dannon yougurt every day and so did his mother!!! As I understand Dannon's commercials, Activa, etc. aids digestion. It isn't a magic cure-all for everything that ails you.

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