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Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt first appeared on the dessert
scene in the 1970’s. Though consumers did not at
first find its tart flavor appealing, frozen
yogurt made a huge leap into the dessert market
in the 1980’s when chains like TCBY began to
make a creamier version. In recent years, frozen
yogurt has experienced a new resurgence due to
widely-touted health benefits and some emerging
retail giants.
One big factor in the renewed frozen yogurt
craze is Pinkberry. When the first store opened
in West Hollywood in January 2005, Pinkberry was
an instant hit. In fact, it soon became known as
“the taste that launched a thousand parking
tickets.” That first location was not an optimum
spot for parking. Customers parked illegally and
stood in line for an hour or more. According to
CEO and President Ron Graves, the city of West
LA made $175,000 from parking tickets in one
month, just from people trying to get to
Pinkberry. From that single location just a few
short years ago, Pinkberry now operates more
than 75 stores in California, New York, Texas,
Kuwait, and Dubai. Future plans include
expanding across the U.S.
This scenario seems pretty rosy for the dessert
chain, but in the short time they’ve been in
business, they have had their fair share of
controversy. Pinkberry was sued in 2007 for
making misleading health food claims and not
disclosing their list of ingredients. California
law requires that a product marketed as frozen
yogurt must be made off-site rather than in
stores and have its ingredients prominently
displayed. Pinkberry, who was secretive about
ingredients and making the frozen dessert at its
stores, settled out of court in 2008. The
retailer stated that they were not aware of some
of the laws. In the settlement, Pinkberry agreed
to pay a total of $750,000 to two charities, the
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Para Los
Ninos, but admitted to no wrong-doing. They now
mix their products off-site and list all
ingredients on their website.
Pinkberry competitors such as Red Mango, Yogen
Fruz, and others are also trying to capitalize
on one of the country’s hottest trends. Red
Mango, a company that originated in Korea in
2004, already has stores in15 states, with new
stores being added all the time. Yogen Fruz
opened its first store in Canada in 1986 and now
lists more than 1,200 stores in 25 countries.
And don’t forget TCBY and their 1,200 plus
locations.
It’s clear that more and more of the population
is being given the opportunity to partake of the
sweet, tangy treat that is frozen yogurt. But
what are consumers getting when they purchase
it? The National Yogurt Association, a national
non-profit trade organization, has set
guidelines for traditional and frozen yogurt.
The live and active cultures of Lactobacillus
bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus are
the bacteria that turn milk into yogurt. The
same is true for frozen yogurt. These bacteria
must be present in certain amounts to qualify
for the “Live & Active Cultures” seal. Frozen
yogurt must have at least ten million cultures
per gram at the time of manufacture, compared to
100 million cultures per gram for regular,
non-frozen yogurt.
Just as with some products that term themselves
“yogurt,” not all products listed as “frozen
yogurt” actually contain live and active
cultures. Frozen yogurt is not subject to
federal composition standards, as it is a
non-standardized food. To carry the “Live &
Active Cultures” seal, the frozen yogurt must be
made by fermenting pasteurized milk with
Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus
thermophilus. Frozen yogurt manufacturers will
then mix this yogurt with a variety of
ingredients per their own recipes. Those
ingredients can include fruit, stabilizers, and
an ice cream mix of milk, cream, and sugars. The
mixture is then frozen. The live bacteria, few
of which are killed in the freezing process, go
into a dormant state. When eaten and brought
back to warm temperatures within the body, these
cultures again become active and impart the same
health benefits as regular yogurt. A 1999 study
by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University confirmed the high survival level of
bacteria during freezing using three different
methods.
According to TCBY’s website, their yogurt
contains seven active cultures. Besides the
standard Lactobacillis bulgaricus and
Streptococcus thermophilus, TCBY also contains
Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium
lactis, Lactobacillus lactis, Lactobacillus
paracasei, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Yogen
Fruz adds Lactobacillus paracasei and says they
“put a billion probiotic bacteria in each
serving in addition to all of the yogurt culture
that is already there.” Though it’s not clear
why TCBY and Yogen Fruz do not hold the
certification, Pinkberry and Red Mango both
carry the “Live & Active Cultures” seal on their
frozen yogurts. Besides the two standard
cultures, Pinkberry frozen yogurt also includes
Lactobacillus acidophilus. Red Mango lists
Lactobacillus lactis and Lactobacillus
acidophilus as live cultures in their products,
along with the two required cultures. Red Mango
is also the only frozen yogurt retailer whose
products contain the patented Bacillus coagulans
GBI-30, 6086 or Ganeden BC30.
All of these live bacteria offer a range of
known health benefits. Frozen yogurt, for
instance, is an excellent option for those that
are lactose intolerant. The beneficial bacteria
transform lactose into lactic acid, making it
easier to digest. Replenishing the intestines
with the good bacteria that are supposed to live
there aids greatly digestion. The probiotic
organisms in frozen yogurt have other positive
health benefits such as boosting the immune
system, helping to prevent the development of
certain cancers, and preventing the growth of
many harmful bacteria.
Consumers who treat themselves to a tangy
concoction of the latest pomegranate or green
tea frozen yogurt will likely not be
disappointed in the taste—and they might even
get a health boost while they enjoy dessert.
References:
AboutYogurt.Com. (2009). National Yogurt
Association.
Cohen, Alex. (2007). NPR.
Dessert Trend: What’s in Pinkberry?
Davidson, et al. (2000). Journal
of Dairy Science. Probiotic Culture Survival and
Implications in Fermented Frozen Yogurt
Characteristics. .
Mikus, Kim. (2008). All Business. Frozen Yogurt
Company Expanding in Local Malls.
Pinkberry. (2009).
Red Mango. (2009).
Steinhauer, Jennifer. (2007). The New York
Times. Heated Competition. Steaming Neighbors.
Is This Frozen Yogurt?
Steinhauer, Jennifer. (2008). The New York
Times. Pinkberry Settles Suit Over Claims on
Dessert.
TCBY. (2009).
Taylor, John R. and Mitchell, Deborah. The
Wonder of Probiotics. New York, NY: St. Martin’s
Press, 2007.
Trenev, Natasha. Probiotics:
Nature’s Internal Healers. Garden City Park, New
York: Avery Publishing Group, 1998.
Yogen Fruz. (2009).
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