While some may associate original-flavored yogurt drinks with being natural and unsweetened, a recent research conducted by the John Tung Foundation (JTF) found that more than 85 percent of the products to be high in sugar.
The foundation tested 23 yogurt and yogurt drink products labeled as original flavor in April and May, of which 20, or 87 percent, were found to contain added sugar.
Singling out Yakult Co’s (養樂多) “original-flavored calcium-rich Probiotics Drink” (原味高鈣優酪乳), JTF nutritionist Lin Yan-ting (林彥廷) said the product had the highest sugar content among the items tested, at 9.3g per 100 mililiters (g/100ml), which is equivalent to the amount of two sugar cubes.
“Drinking 2.2 bottles of the 125ml product would easily exceed the WHO’s recommended daily sugar intake of no more than 25grams,” Lin said.
Lin said that in terms of sugar content, the drink was followed by Taiwan Bifido’s (活益比菲多) plain yogurt, which contained sugar at a level of 8.8g/100ml, and Uni-President Enterprises Co’s (統一企業) AB hard yogurt (AB乳果), which had a sugar content of 7.9g/100ml.
Lin also warned consumers against yogurt products marketed as being “light,” citing as an example Uni-President’s AB light drinking yogurt (AB輕優酪乳), which contained 6.4g/100ml of sugar.
The foundation urged the public to read a product’s nutrition labels carefully before purchase and opt for drinking yogurts that were clearly labeled as “low sugar” or “sugar free.”
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