U.S. yogurt maker Dannon, a unit of France's Danone, is looking at ways to make its products less sweet, in the latest industry response to rising concerns about excessive sugar consumption.
The company, whose brands include Dannon, Oikos and Activia, is working with the American Heart Association and other health groups to find ways to reduce sugar after having cut the sweetener in most of its products to 23 grams or less per 6-ounce serving, executives said.
"We're going to look at things like that," Philippe Caradec, Dannon's vice president of corporate affairs, said in an interview after the conference.
Yogurt manufacturers are taking such steps as government officials and nutritionists heighten their calls to reduce sugar intake in a bid to battle epidemics such as obesity.
This year, the U.S. government for the first time recommended Americans limit their sugar intake and decreed that nutrition labels include added sugars.
The American Heart Association is even more stringent. The group advises people to eat yogurt with no more than 20 grams of sugar in a 6-ounce serving. That would mean a cut of another 3 grams per serving for many of Dannon's products.
Source: www.reuters.com