Yoplait has reduced the sugar content in two of its kids’ yoghurt brands.
After fresh reformulations of their recipes, Petits Filous now contains 8.9g per 100g, down from 9.3g, while Frubes has dropped from 10.8g of sugar per 100g to 9.9g.
The revised contents of the two products include naturally occurring sugars from lactose and fruit, Yoplait confirmed.
The move means that since 2015, Yoplait has improved the health credentials of its kids’ portfolio by reducing sugars by 25%, the supplier claimed.
The reformulation comes as the brand continues a push to “re-educate” shoppers, first started in 2024, about the “positive nutritional benefits” of consuming yoghurt.
As part of that campaign to raise awareness, Petits Filous is rolling out a “fresh new look” to packs, with a big focus on bone health. Frubes is also running an on-pack promotion offering a family trip to Japan.
The activity follows a report commissioned by Yoplait last year, which found that the war on sugar could be counter-intuitively encouraging children and their parents to dump healthier yoghurts for junk foods.
The paper, authored by dietician Dr Carrie Ruxton and titled ‘Kids’ Yoghurt and Consumers, A Relationship Turned Sour’, claimed children were increasingly being fed with ultra-processed, high-energy, nutrient-poor foods such as biscuits and cakes instead of yoghurt, due to the misplaced belief they were still high in sugar.
The report also highlighted that over one million children in the UK were at risk of poor development and growth because they were lacking key nutrients such as vitamin D, calcium and iodine, all of which are found in fortified kids’ yoghurts, explained Antoine Hours, general manager of Yoplait UK.
“We outlined a 10-year decline in consumption of kids’ yoghurts and, alarmingly, our insights showed parents were switching from kids’ yoghurts into biscuits, cakes and confectionery,” he said.
“If we are able to re-educate about the positive nutritional benefits, showcase our brands to consumers and encourage them to switch back, we have identified a potential £150m sales opportunity for retailers over the next five years.”
No comments yet