The products began shipping in January and are now available in retailers across the US including Wal-Mart, Michael Neuwirth, senior director of public relations at Dannon, told FoodNavigator-USA.
“There are some Greek products that are being targeted at kids [eg. Chobani Bite], but this is the first range that has been specifically formulated to meet kids’ taste preferences," he said.
“Greek yogurt for adults tends to be a little too tart and too thick for children, so we chose a culture that produces a more mild , less tart flavor and a creamy texture that is almost mousse-like but extremely nutritionally dense.
"It’s also a more appropriate size [113g compared with the typical 150g for a pot of Greek yogurt for adults].”
Asked about its success to date, he added: “It’s too early to talk numbers but anecdotally, we’ve had a very positive response. Many children evolve out of the Danimals brand by the age of eight and they haven’t had a Greek yogurt to graduate to.”
There are five flavors in the range (Cherry Rush, Cotton Candy Thrill, Mixed Berry Half-Pipe, Strawberry Banana Sprint, and Strawberry Slide), which contains no artificial colors or flavors and is sweetened with sugar (not high fructose corn syrup).
Each 113g pot has 110 calories, 14 grams of sugar, 10 grams of protein (twice as much as regular lowfat yogurt), and is a good source of calcium and vitamin D.
Ads for the new range (see below) invite kids to ‘power up’ - a message that is in part designed to resonate with Moms that are buying into the higher protein messages often used to promote Greek yogurt, said Neuwirth.