FDA Approves Qualified Health Claim for Yogurt and Diabetes Risk

The FDA's new guidance allows yogurt makers to claim that consuming their products may reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, with certain conditions.

The FDA has authorized yogurt producers to make a qualified health claim that eating yogurt could lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes, based on limited scientific evidence.
Consumers must consume at least two cups or three servings of yogurt per week to potentially see the benefits.
The claim is allowed irrespective of the yogurt's fat or sugar content, though concerns about high added sugar content have been raised.
Danone North America, a major yogurt manufacturer, initiated the petition leading to the FDA's decision, citing 117 publications in support.
Critics argue that the evidence for the claim is not based on randomized controlled trials, and warn against the potential increase in consumption of high-sugar yogurts.