Product Focus: Greek Yogurt

There’s no doubt Greek yogurt revolutionized the yogurt industry, and other food and beverage manufacturers want a piece of that growth. From beverages to bars, cereals to desserts, and sauces to dressings, formulators are either mixing in real Greek yogurt or using Greek yogurt powder to add flavor, boost protein and give their product a marketing spin.

“Greek yogurt has injected a lot of new excitement and activity in the industry. It went from being just 1 percent of the yogurt market in 2007 to becoming the most important trend shaping the industry,” says David Sprinkle, research director for Packaged Facts, a market research firm based in Rockville, Md.

Jeff McLemore, vice president of North America marketing, Sunsweet Growers Inc., Yuba City, Calif., says, “People are looking for their favorite brands to incorporate Greek yogurt into the foods they already love.” In response, Sunsweet now offers Greek Style PlumSweets, which are diced dried plums with a Greek yogurt coating.

Post Foods LLC, Parsippany, N.J., was one of the first grain-based food manufacturers to include Greek yogurt. Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch cereal delivers Greek yogurt through the inclusion of two distinct crunchy granola clusters made with Greek yogurt powder. One has the Greek yogurt baked into the cluster and one has the cluster covered with a creamy Greek yogurt-style coating.

Formulating with actual yogurt is extremely difficult because it is a perishable, fermentable product. Most shelf-stable products use Greek yogurt powder because it is easier in terms of handling and stability. However, because it is a dried product and made through the use of heat, the powder no longer contains the live and active cultures found in refrigerated yogurt.

Greek Yogurt Products