The yogurt standard is a topic that has generated a lot of discussion over the years in the industry with little response from the Food and Drug Association (FDA) until recently. For those of you who may be new to the yogurt regulatory world, the Standard of Identity (SOI) for yogurt was established in 1981. It is listed in the Code of Federal Regulations as 21CFR 131.200 (eCFR :: 21 CFR 131.200 -- Yogurt.). Many dairy products have federal standards based on composition, manufacturing, and quality requirements. Meeting the yogurt standard allows a product to use the term “yogurt” on the label.
Standards are meant to protect the nutritional properties and quality of a food product, so consumers are ensured that the product hasn’t been compromised using processes or ingredients that have a negative impact on those properties. Fortunately, the United States has the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), who speaks for the yogurt manufacturers and works on their behalf with the FDA to request changes to the yogurt standard. IDFA has done a great job of communicating their interactions with the FDA, keeping its constituencies up-to-date on the timeline of events through the years.