The popularity of Frozen Yogurt has exploded in Brazil resulting in new yogurt companies and franchises sprouting up frequently. This recent surge in demand triggered the Brazilian Proteste Consumers Association (Brazil’s equivalent to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency) to laboratory test samples of “frozen yogurt” from each of the eight main players (Yogen Früz, Yogolove, Yoggi, Yogoberry, Yofoira, Tutti Frutti, Bendita Fruta and Yogofresh) in the market. These samples were analyzed to determine if they met the bacterial, fat and sugar content required to be labeled yogurt by the Ministry of Agriculture Brazil and the Standard Health Agency in the UK.
The bacterial culture added to milk is the most vital component in making yogurt. Every gram of yogurt requires a minimum of 10 000 000* viable bacteria to be labeled as such. However, the Proteste Consumers Association was surprised to find that out of the eight samples of frozen yogurt that they took, all but one came close to meeting this minimum. From Bendita Fruta’s 110/g* to Yoforia’s 280 000/g*, none of the samples came remotely near Yogen Früz’s 94,000,000/g*.
No, that’s not a typo; Yogen Früz’s soft-serve yogurt contains almost 336 times the good bacteria as the next leading company’s product, surpassing the industry minimum by 940%. While we’re happy with the result of this test, we would love to see other countries around the world follow Brazil’s initiative to uphold product standards. Consumers should be aware if they’re eating healthy and delicious yogurt, or something that could be more accurately described as yogurt infused ice cream.
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* Values taken from Proteste Consumers Association (
http://www.proteste.org.br/20110411/tabela-frozen-yogurt-dados-nutricionais-Attach_s539511.pdf)
