Yoplait has jumped on the resurgent functional dairy bandwagon with the launch of Calin+, a new yoghurt brand with added calcium and vitamin D.

Yoplait Calin+ launched in the UK at the end of last month in vanilla and strawberry flavours at Asda (£1 for four 125g pots), and Morrisons (£1.50).

The brand is already sold in France where it is targeted at older women. The French website claims: “Created by the Yoplait nutritionists, Calin+ has been specially designed in response to the needs of women over 55.”

In the UK, the brand is not as overtly targeted at this audience, although the dedicated UK website - www.calinplus.co.uk - does feature a recommended ‘day with Calin+’ menu, which is accompanied by an image of a mature woman.

Packs highlight the functional benefits, stating: ‘Calcium + vitamin D for strong bones’ to reflect the fact the yoghurts contain 400mg of calcium - 50% of the recommended daily allowance, and 100% of the RDA of vitamin D.

The launch of Calin+ is a significant boost to Yoplait’s presence in UK dairy, adding to its existing brand stable which includes Yop, Petits Filous, and Perle de Lait.

It comes as interest in functional dairy among suppliers and retailers is experiencing a resurgence. In June, Tesco launched Tesco Healthy Bones Milk (which contains calcium and vitamins D, K and C) and Tesco Multivitamins Milk (which contains iron, zinc and B12).

In July, milkshake brand Shaken Udder switched to using milk with a higher Selenium content.

In France, the Calin+ yoghurt range includes four packs of strawberry and apricot, as well as eight-packs available in fruits, vanilla and plain. The wider Calin brand also features soft cheese lines in France.

Topics