What's The Difference Between Yogurt & 'Cultured Dairy Blend'

A reader recently asked the Food Explainer, “what precisely defines ‘yogurt’ for the FDA”? As you may have noticed, next to the yogurts in the dairy aisle is a product labeled “cultured dairy blend,” which looks like yogurt and tastes like yogurt. What’s the distinction, then, and is there more or less beneficial bacteria in yogurt than in the dairy blend doppelganger?

At its most basic, yogurt is a dairy product fermented by starter cultures (basically lactic-acid-producing bacteria). These cultures convert lactose—the sugar portion of milk—to acid. The drop in pH in turn causes the milk’s proteins to set, so the liquid thickens into yogurt.

To ensure consistency, however, the FDA has established much more extensive criteria listed in what’s called a “standard of identity.” If a product doesn’t meet these exacting conditions, even if it appears yogurt-like, it can’t legally be called yogurt—so marketers came up with the phrase “cultured dairy blend” to apply to similar products. There’s no FDA standard for products labeled with this phrase, so manufacturers have considerably more leeway with production methods and ingredients.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Slate