General Mills : YQ by Yoplait debuts

innovation

Smarter, Not Sweeter.

That's the philosophy behind new YQ by Yoplait.

Set to hit store shelves across the U.S. this month, YQ by Yoplait is setting out to give people something quite different from their typical yogurt experience.

I spoke with Doug Martin, vice president of marketing for Yoplait, about what sets YQ apart from other yogurts on the market today.

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'If you look at the most popular diet in America today, the real answer is 'my diet'. People have tried a lot of approaches and more and more people are finding what works for them,' Martin says. 'We wanted to give people something that is simply made and presented in a straight forward way with the facts they are seeking.'

He talks more about who this product is catered to, in this audio clip.

One of the key differences is how it's made. YQ starts with ultra-filtered, which is milk that has been passed through a series of fine filters to remove 99 percent of the milk's lactose, which is a naturally occurring sugar found in milk that adds virtually no sweetness.

The ultra-filtered milk is combined with active cultures that then go through special stirring technique, perfected by Yoplait in France. The result is a thick, smooth, extra creamy texture with a differential nutritional profile that is intentionally less sweet.

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By removing 99 percent of the lactose, YQ by Yoplait delivers 17 grams of protein and only 1 gram of sugar per serving in the Plain variety. The flavored varieties add just enough cane sugar and fruit to this base to deliver 9 grams of sugar and 15 grams of protein.

Martin explains more about this process, in this audio clip.

Traditional Greek yogurt starts with traditional milk and is then strained to remove water to concentrate the protein, which gets to the thicker consistency. And because YQ removes 99 percent of the lactose and is then lightly sweetened with just the right amount of cane sugar, the flavored varieties achieve 40 percent less sugar than the leading Greek yogurt.

YQ by Yoplait can be enjoyed on its own or in a number of recipes, which are available at YQbyYoplait.com.

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