General Mills plans to cut the amount of sugar in its Yoplait Original yogurt by over 25 percent, the company said Tuesday.
With less sugar, the calorie count in Yoplait Original will fall from 170 to 150 calories per six-ounce serving.
Also, the per-serving amount of protein in Yoplait Original will rise from 5 grams to 6 grams, since General Mills will be using more milk. Fat per serving will rise from 1.5 to 2 grams,also due to more dairy.
The reformulated Yoplait Original should be on store shelves next month.
Added sugars have been a topic of much debate in recent years, with some nutritionists criticizing packaged food makers for relying too much on the sweet stuff.
The milk in yogurt contains lactose, a natural sugar that accounts for about 12 grams of sugar per serving in plain yogurt. But once yogurt makers like General Mills and Dannon mix in fruit and added sugars, the total sugar count doubles.
Yoplait Original yogurt currently contains 26 grams of sugar on average per serving, while Dannon's equivalent offering has 24 grams. The new Yoplait Original will have 18 grams of sugar per serving, General Mills says.
The Golden Valley-based company announced the Yoplait sugar cuts at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York's annual conference in Boca Raton, Fla.
