National Yogurt Association Petitions FDA on Standard of Identity for Yogurt

Proposal Designed to Benefit American Consumers and Industry

The National Yogurt Association (NYA) has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to amend the standard of identity for yogurt. The proposal, submitted to the FDA on February 18, 2000, seeks to clarify the incomplete and unclear standards currently in place, which provide consumers with little confidence about the standardization of the yogurt products they purchase and manufacturers with little guidance as to how to properly meet them. Click here to see petition.

"The existing standards are unclear and incomplete, do not prevent wide variations among different yogurts and yogurt-like products, and do not reflect the needs of consumers or the industry," says Leslie G. Sarasin, President of the NYA. "The proposal calls for establishing a clear, consistent, modernized and flexible yogurt standard that will benefit everyone."

The proposal will finally complete and fully implement a yogurt standard, identifying "yogurt" as a food that contains a minimum level of live and active cultures. A new standard of identity would boost consumer confidence by standardizing all yogurt products on the market, thereby reflecting that which is current industry practice.

NYA's petition encompasses full fat, lowfat and nonfat yogurts in the standard of identity. In addition to minimum levels of LAC at the time of manufacture, the petition addresses acidity; homogenization/ pasteurization; standard dairy ingredients; optional ingredients; nomenclature; and conforming changes to the cultured milk standard.

The National Yogurt Association is the national, non-profit trade organization representing the manufacturers and marketers of LAC yogurt products, as well as suppliers to the industry. Its purpose is to sponsor research about the health attributes of yogurt with live and active cultures and serve as an information source to the trade and consumers.