WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The Dannon Co., a subsidiary of Danone, has reformulated Danimals Smoothies to reduce the sugar content by 25%.
During a two-year process, researchers at Dannon experimented with different yogurt cultures to lower the acidity and improve the taste of the product so less sugar would be needed to mask the tartness. Flavoring tweaks also allowed for a reduction in sugar without altering the taste of the product.
“As America’s largest maker of yogurt, we are committed to bring health through food to as many people as possible, and to encourage Americans to eat yogurt every day,” said Sergio Fuster, senior vice-president of marketing at The Dannon Co. “We make snack options that kids want to eat and that parents feel good about when feeding their children. We hear concerns from parents about the amount of sugar in their kids’ diets, and we worked for a long time to find a way to improve the total nutritional value of Danimals Smoothies while still making them taste great, which is what made them our bestselling kids’ product in the first place. We didn’t reveal this change until the new Danimals Smoothies had already replaced the previous version in stores because we wanted to make sure kids still love it, which they do.”
Flavors include raspberry, strawberry, strawberry kiwi, strawberry banana, banana split, watermelon and mixed berry jelly bean. The smoothies contain no high-fructose corn syrup or artificial colors or flavors.
Danimals Smoothies are available nationwide for a suggested retail price of $2.89 for a 6-pack and $4.99 for a 12-pack.