On Friday, Dannon Company announced it had settled a class action suit to the tune of $35 Million. The lawsuit was filed in early 2008, alleging that Dannon knowingly misled consumers in its marketing activities around its Activia yogurt line. The massive false advertising campaign convinced shoppers to pay 30% more for yogurt containing “probiotic” bacteria because of the products’ supposed health benefits.

While no nutritionist doubts the health benefit of yogurt, the question asked is what’s so special about Activia’s probiotics compared to other brands, and in and of themselves. Seems like a judge was going to provide the answer, but executives at Dannon decided to fog things up by dishing out millions of dollars AND not admitting to any wrongdoing.

In case you are wondering, here’s what you’ll find inside Activia Strawberry Yogurt. Read more…

Fooducate reader Terri G asks: “Yoplait just came out with a new yummy treat. Yoplait Parfait. It’s really good. What can you tell me about it? Is it very bad, okay, good?”

Yes, Yoplait has  introduced a new product line a few weeks ago, called Yoplait Delights Parfait. They come in 4 different flavors, Chocolate Raspberry, Creme Caramel, Triple Berry Creme, and Lemon Torte.
There’s a definitive European touch to these treats, which Yoplait classifies under the SNACK category, in case anyone is wondering. If you have mistaken this product for yogurt, we invite you to learn together with us what’s inside the label. Read more…

Image by University of Turin, Italy

A) moldy jelly beans

B) microscopic view of sugar powder

C) Bugs

D) None of the above

Answer below Read more…

A nice slideshow from FitSugar explains what the following ingredients, commonly found in processed foods are:

Maltodextrin – a carb, serves a as thickener

Inulin – a soluble fiber

Methylcellulose – an emulsifier and thickener from … cellulose

Xantham gum - a very “popular” emulsifier and thickener

Mono and Diglycerides – yet more emulsifiers

Carmine – Red coloring from insects…yuk.

What you need to know:

While these and other additives may not necessarily be harmful, you need to ask yourself why does our food contain so many “things”? Part of the answer lies with the modern food industry structure. Products are shipped long distances and need to maintain quality and freshness for a long time on the supermarket shelf and then at home in the pantry. In some products, the various ingredients would start to separate (peanut butter & peanut oil) if not for the additives.

Think of many things that you prepare at home. They’ll last a week in the fridge or a few months in the freezer. That’s not enough for industry.

What to do at the supermarket:

Mainly you should be on the lookout for dangerous additives that the FDA has still not banned, including food colorings and a few others. Here is a list courtesy of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

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