Danone yogurt, that heavily advertised yogurt brand with their special bacteria, has been ruled as using "misleading advertising" by a court in the USA. This isn't the first one either - there were two in the U.K. also.

Ha Ha!! I told ya so - I posted on this earlier this year - noting that not only does Danone ADVERTISE too much, but when I looked at their products, they contain added thickeners so it is cheap to make, but is not good for people with bowel problems such as IBS - the added thickeners include WHEY, various GUMS, etc.

Mostly, it was that Danone claimed to have created a brand new bacteria called "regularis", so named to give customers the idea that it would help regulate their bowels. Maybe they did breed some existing bacterias to create something new, but really, what nature provides is probably best because our bodies have evolved WITH those naturally occuring bacteria. Our gut has adapted to need and use them, the way they are.

And besides, Danone even applied for, and got, a damn patent on that "regularis" bacteria! That tells me something is up, it is just business and monopolies and so on that has little to do with health.

Other yogurt brands, like the locallly made one that I buy, has NOTHING in it but the yogurt and added naturally occuring bacterials ["probiotics"].

So now Danone has to give customers a REBATE!! $100 each. I cannot imagine how that will work out - do you keep the receipts for your yogurt purchases? Maybe the empty containers will be of value there somehow.

In any case, here are some lessons for consumers: advertising costs money, and the consumers have to pay for that advertising, so therefore the value is NOT IN THE FOOD. That is why Danone used to cheap "thickeners" to make up for it. So don't buy the most heavily promoted foods, or yogurt with added thickeners, or bogus patented bacteria.


Link to article:
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/09/18/yogurt-lawsuit-dannon.html