Yogurt- it’s a Bulgarian product

Yogurt- it’s a Bulgarian product!

European Union officials would allow “yogurt” to be stamped o­nly o­n desserts made with a traditional type of bitter-tasting live bacteria described in historic Bulgarian recipes.

Officials at the European Commission are preparing to ban yogurt from Britain and other counterfeit producers because it does not conform to their definition of a yogurt.

Under proposed legislation that could become law next year, all yogurt sold in Europe and Britain would have to be labelled as “fermented milk”.

Most would have to be clearly labelled “mild alternate-culture heat-treated fermented milk”. Others could omit the words “heat-treated”, provided they contained live bacteria.

Brussels officials would allow “yogurt” to be stamped o­nly o­n desserts made with a traditional type of bitter-tasting live bacteria described in historic Bulgarian recipes.

Dairy organisations throughout Europe have lobbied against the draft legislation, but it has survived four revisions in the Commission’s agriculture division and could become law by early next year.

Nov 30, 2003