((Automated translation by Reuters, please see disclaimer https://bit.ly/rtrsauto))
(Adds market share data, clarifies that Danone North America has filed with the FDA, and corrects Blechman’s name) by Jessica DiNapoli
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Friday that it will allow yogurt makers to state that the dairy product can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, as more Americans die from the disease and take medicines such as Ozempic to combat it.
The FDA will allow dairy manufacturers to state that regular yogurt consumption – at least two cups or three servings per week – can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, based on limited scientific evidence, according to a letter published on the website of the regulatory authority.
Yogurt maker Danone North America asked the FDA to greenlight the claim in 2018, after the French company’s subsidiary Danone SA DANO.PA “noticed that the body of evidence was really growing and becoming more compelling ” to support it, said Amanda Blechman, director of health and scientific affairs for Danone North America.
According to her, any yogurt manufacturer will be able to use this claim on yogurts made from dairy products. Danone’s competitors are General Mills GIS.N , which makes Yoplait, and privately held Chobani. According to data provider Euromonitor, Chobani was the top yogurt in the United States in terms of retail sales value in 2023, followed by Danone’s Dannon brand.
Although many manufacturers add sugar to yogurt, research has shown that the benefit still applies, “regardless of sugar or fat content,” Mr. Blechman said.
In its letter, the FDA expressed concern that the use of the claim for yogurts containing a “significant amount of added sugars could contribute empty calories to the diet.” The regulator said it “encouraged careful consideration” of whether to use the claim on yogurts with high added sugars.
Yoplait’s single-serve Pina Colada yogurt contains 13 grams (0.5 ounces) of added sugar, a high percentage for a daily diet, according to FDA guidelines. Danone Dannon Creamy Classic Peach Mango Yogurt contains 9 grams (0.3 ounces) of added sugar.
Ms. Blechman cited a study published in 2014 by researchers in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, which showed that greater yogurt consumption is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, prompting Danone to ask the FDA to allow this claim.
She said Danone’s application to the FDA cites 32 studies supporting the claim that yogurt consumption reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, which is not the case for other types of diabetes. dairy products. Although Blechman adds that studies don’t specify why yogurt reduces the risk of the disease, she says it could be due to live cultures in the food that ferment the milk.
Six of the 32 studies cited in Danone’s FDA application were funded at least in part by Danone or a related company, the company said.
The claim does not apply to non-dairy yogurts made with ingredients such as almonds, coconut and soy, Blechman said.
Danone is “evaluating how and where to communicate” the new claim so that it is easy to understand, she added.
In the past, the FDA has allowed similar claims for cranberry juice, which reduces the risk of recurrent UTIs, and whole grains, which limits the risk of diabetes.