Emmi’s new YoQua varieties said to half granulated sugar while maintaining taste

05 Sep 2017 --- Emmi has announced that it is launching its new YoQua Strawberry and Forest Fruits varieties this autumn, hoping to add a new protein yogurt option for those who would like to enjoy the health benefits of a plain yogurt with the taste of a flavored yogurt. They contain 4.5 grams of added granulated sugar – only half as much as a normal yogurt, the company points out – with no other sweeteners.

“We regularly ask consumers for their opinions, and the demand for reduced-sugar foods has risen sharply in recent years,” Thomas Heller, Head of Marketing, Switzerland at Emmi, comments. “We are happy to respond to this type of trend, and with the new YoQua varieties, we are offering conscientious consumers a balanced alternative.”

Cutting down on sugar
International health food movements are increasingly renouncing sugar, and Emmi notes that this is also having an impact on diets in Switzerland. To meet the growing customer demand for reduced-sugar, high-protein foods, Emmi is, therefore, launching its two new reduced-sugar varieties of the YoQua yogurt. With 50 percent less added granulated sugar, 8 grams of protein and 0.1 percent fat, the company says the “tart, fruity yogurts are the first of their kind on the Swiss market.”

Emmi points out its reduced-sugar credentials by noting that it was one of the ten food producers to sign the “Milan Declaration,” a call to action on obesity, in August 2015. Witnessed by Swiss Federal Councillor Alain Berset, the participating Swiss food manufacturers committed to reducing the sugar content in muesli and yogurts over the long term.

The company notes that the average Swiss person consumes around 44 kilograms of sugar per year – diabetes and being overweight are two of the country’s most widespread health conditions. Emmi says that the health implications are a “valid reason for the Federal Council to put an end to the high sugar content of everyday products such as muesli and yogurt.” It has therefore pledged to help in tackling the problem, and the new YoQua yogurts fit in with this goal.

“For the future, especially in the development of new products, sugar reduction is an important topic for Emmi,” Sibylle Umiker, Emmi Corporate Communications & IR, tells NutritionInsight. “Our existing products (especially in Switzerland and the UK) have already [been] optimized over the past two decades. We consider the splitting of lactose as a good way to reduce the sugar in the case of fresh dairy products such as yogurts and drinks.”

“Sugar reduction is not a new trend,” says Umiker. “It is actually rather a continuation of the ‘light trend’ of the 1990s. The motivation to consume sugar-reduced products is different. Those who care for a comprehensive health-conscious lifestyle are grateful for tasty everyday products that support this lifestyle. Other people are aware that their lifestyle is unhealthy. Adjusting the diet is one way to live healthier and perhaps easier than other alternatives – for example, doing more sports. These consumers are happy when they are offered a sugar-reduced but at the same time saturating and savory everyday product of which they can eat a normal portion.”

The new YoQua varieties are said to be a direct consequence of the promise the company made – they not only contain 50 percent less added granulated sugar and no sweeteners, but also indicate the individual sugar types (fructose, lactose and added granulated sugar) on their packaging. In this way, Emmi says it “aims to enable consumers to assess the artificial, added natural and naturally present sugar types in foods so that they can maintain a more balanced diet.”

The company has gradually been reducing sugar content in its products for more than 25 years, its press release notes, and “in such small amounts that consumers do not notice any difference in taste.” It adds that sugar-free versions of many yogurts and dairy-based drinks and desserts are not possible, however, as sugar is a key flavor carrier in these types of product.

Emmi believes that it has achieved the ideal blend of flavor and health in the reduced-sugar YoQuas. It says that further products with considerably lower sugar content are already planned.