Skipped Ramen for Yogurt? Watch Out for Sugar and Fat Bombs

[Anchor]

It is time for Friendly Economy with reporter Han Jiyeon. Han, we are talking about yogurt today, November 4.

[Reporter]

We are talking about topping yogurt.

The sugar content per 100g was two to three times that of regular plain yogurt, reaching up to 21g per container, which is equivalent to seven sugar cubes.

When you feel a bit hungry at night, instant ramen feels heavy on your conscience and cake is too much, so you might reach for a cup of yogurt.

Pouring in separate chocolate balls and mixing them up—the so-called topping yogurt—feels delicious, healthy, and guilt-free.

The Korea Consumer Agency examined 16 popular products sold online, carefully comparing everything from nutritional content and texture to price.

I will break down the results for each product.

You might expect the product with the highest sugar content per full container to be chocolate.

Surprisingly, it was fruit.

It was Seoul Milk's "Beyotte Berry Compote," which features compote made by simmering fruits like blueberries in sugar or oligosaccharide.

However, when recalculating the figures per 100g, the top spot changes to chocolate.

Maeil Dairies' "Bio Choco Ring & Crispy Ball" was the highest at about 15g per 100g.

The large portion size also plays a big role in why Beyotte Berry Compote ranks first per container.

Seoul Milk's "My Pick Cookie Ring," which falls on the lower end for sugar, still contains 13g per container—similar to the sugar in half a can of a 250ml cola.

[Anchor]

Then how is Greek yogurt different?

[Reporter]

The three Greek yogurt products tested had more protein than regular yogurt.

However, looking at one product, its saturated fat content was nearly at the level of a single package of Shin Ramyun.

Thick and creamy Greek yogurt, which sounds healthy just by its name, is chosen by many people looking out for their health.

The product in question is "Plain Greek Yogurt with Blueberry Compote" made by a brand called "Yozm."

Its saturated fat is 8.5g, which is 57 percent of the daily recommended value, while a single package of Shin Ramyun has 9g.

You passed on ramen and chose yogurt, but you ended up consuming almost as much saturated fat as ramen.

This product ranked first among the 16 tested in protein and lactic acid bacteria count per gram, and was on the lower end for sugar.

It seemed like an honor student, but its calcium content turned out to be the lowest.

That does not mean all Greek yogurts are like this.

The other two Greek yogurt products had saturated fat at 17 percent of the daily value.

Conversely, Beyotte Berry Compote, which ranked first in sugar per container, had the lowest saturated fat.

Since low sugar does not mean low saturated fat, focusing on only one aspect might cause you to miss another.

The thickness lived up to its name.

When measuring how much it sticks to the mouth, or its adhesiveness, the product from Yozm was more than 10 times higher than other Greek yogurts.

Among regular yogurts, Namyang Dairy Products' "Tottebul" and Maeil Dairies' "Bio" were thick, but being thick did not necessarily mean having more lactic acid bacteria.

The number of lactic acid bacteria per gram varied by more than 11 times across products, though even the lowest, Pulmuone Danone's "Yogertok Star Ball," comfortably exceeded the standard.

[Anchor]

There seems to be quite a big difference in price as well.

[Reporter]

The most expensive product costs 4,900 won, which is equivalent to buying five of the cheapest products at 978 won each.

This is based on online official retail prices from September of this year.

The most expensive one was, as you might have guessed, Yozm's Greek yogurt.

The cheapest was CPLB's "Big Choco Ball Yogurt."

Since the indicated weights on the products vary from 125g to 165g, you might wonder if it is due to a difference in portion size, but even when standardized to 100g each, Yozm's Greek yogurt was 3,769 won and the Big Choco Ball was 752 won, maintaining a fivefold difference.

Seoul Milk's "My Pick Cookie Ring" was also relatively cheap at 763 won per 100g.

Also, for those who are serious about the amount of chocolate topping—another unmissable factor—you should check this out.

My Pick Cookie Ring had the least at 6g, while Beyotte Choco Ring, Cow & Tree King Choco Ring, and Yogertok Star Ball had 15g, showing a 2.5-fold difference.

There were also seven products whose online sales page information differed from reality.

They include products from Seoul Milk, Dongwon F&B, Binggrae, E-Mart, and Pulmuone Danone.

One E-Mart Greek yogurt product has been discontinued, and the rest have been corrected.

Fortunately, all 16 products passed safety standards for bacteria and heavy metals.

The Consumer Agency advised consumers not to look only at the toppings, but to choose by considering nutritional value and texture as well.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.