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Tillamook, Tillamook, Ore., sweetens its light yogurt with a stevia-based sweetener and other natural sugar substitutes.

In our February column we discussed the importance of digestive health as the basis of all good nutrition and the role ice cream products could play in terms of providing probiotic (consumption of “live and active beneficial” bacteria) and/or probiotic friendly (that is, prebiotic) mix ingredients. We reviewed delivery of probiotics via active culturing and/or cold inoculation.

While unit sales decreased 3% in the yogurt category, dollar sales were up almost 9% to $4.7 billion and the average price per unit increased 13 cents, for the 52 weeks ended March 18. According to Chicago-based SymphonyIRI Group, No. 3 Agro Farma Inc., New Berlin, N.Y., the maker of Chobani Greek yogurt, posted the largest gains. Dollar sales were up 128% to $704 million and unit sales rose 132%.

New creations from Sensient Flavors enable manufacturers to offer ice creams that fit with seasonal consumer preferences. Sensient’s concepts reflect typical seasonal flavors.

Food producers and organizations from multiple countries have launched the Consortium for Common Food Names to stop efforts to restrict the use of generic food names, including such efforts by the European Commission.

Foodservice operators and suppliers can appeal to women, especially older women, by offering yogurt-based sauces and other healthier substitutions for heavier sauce options. That’s the conclusion from Chicago-based Technomic Inc., a research firm specializing in foodservice trends.

As consumers pay more attention to their health, yogurt and enhanced milk are topping dairy product trends, according to “What’s in Store 2012,” the annual trends report compiled from more than 150 sources by the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association, Madison, Wis.

In late April, dairy industry leaders called for the Senate Agriculture Committee to remove a new dairy program that is designed to control milk prices from the draft 2012 Farm Bill and instead focus on providing proven safety-net programs, such as revenue insurance, typically used for other commodities.

Poor households spend most of their food stamp money (nearly 75%) on vegetables, fruits, grain products, meat, and meat alternatives, according to a study released in April. Lower-cost red meats (7.8%) and milk and yogurt (7.6%) account for the largest shares of food consumed at home. That’s the finding of a report titled “Building a Healthy America: A Profile of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program” and published by the Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Research and Analysis, in the United States Department of Agriculture.