There's a new development in Dannon's Activia, the yogurt for a group Mr. Tidbit likes to describe as "regularity-challenged adults." To review:
Activia appeared in 2006. A "Light" (fat-free and artificially sweetened) version was added in 2007. It has 70 calories per serving and no fat, compared with 110 calories and 2 grams of fat in regular -- umm, let's call it "original" -- Activia.
Last year we were blessed with Activia Fiber ("With cereal pieces!") -- which is original Activia with bits of cereal added. A serving has 3 grams of fiber; original Activia has no fiber.
(There isn't a "Fiber" version of Activia Light; that's because, strangely enough, Activia Light already has 3 grams of fiber, from added inulin. There's added inulin in Activia Fiber, too. In fact, there's more inulin than cereal.)
Anyway, now there's Activia Dessert, "smooth yogurt in rich dessert flavors." The tubs are slightly different in shape from those of the other Activia products, but all hold 4 ounces. How does "Dessert" differ from original Activia? More sugar? Just barely (and barely noticeable): The Dessert flavors have 17 to 20 grams of sugar; the original ones have 17 or 18.
But original Activia is made with "reduced-fat" (2 percent) milk; "Dessert" is made from whole milk, so a serving contains 4 grams of fat and 140 or 150 calories, and it has a slightly creamier mouthfeel. And it contains pectin, so it's stiffer -- more custardy -- than the original.
At some stores it sells for the same price as the original; Mr. Tidbit saw it at another store for 13 percent more.
Ahoy! again In Mr. Tidbit's popular "Only the Flavor Is New (But Guess What It Costs)" Department, there are two new kinds of Chips Ahoy! cookies: "made with Heath English Toffee," and "made with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups." The 91/2-ounce bags are the same price as the 151/4-ounce bag of regular Chips Ahoy!; that's 60 percent more per ounce. Please tell Mr. Tidbit you're not surprised.
