Actimel

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DanActive
An Actimel "value pack"

Actimel ( known as DanActive in the US and Canada ) is a yogurt beverage (drinking yogurt) marketed as a probiotic made by the French company Danone . It has been available in Europe since 1994.

Marketing and Dissemination

Actimel is usually sold in 100 ml bottles, usually in so-called "value packs" containing 8, 6 or 4 vials. Some 12 or 16-piece packs are also sold. The manufacturer claims that Actimel strengthens the body's natural defenses through the use of the patented bacterial culture Lactobacillus casei DN-114001 (marketed as Lactobacillus casei Defensis or Immunitas). Actimel, however, also contains the traditional yogurt cultures Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus .

In 2006, Actimel generated sales of more than EUR 1.4 billion in retail. The drink is distributed in more than 20 European countries as well as in South America and the Middle East. Actimel was sold as DanActive in the United States on a regional basis in 2004 (strawberry, vanilla, and blueberry flavors) until it was launched nationwide in 2007 with additional flavors.

In Germany, Actimel is the market leader for probiotic yoghurt drinks with 70 percent and, according to Danone, is the growth driver for total sales of 470 million euros. According to the market research institute Nielsen, between January and October 2008 the group invested 50 million euros in advertising alone in Germany.

Actimel's advertising face in Germany is Guido Maria Kretschmer .

Ingredients and nutritional values

According to the manufacturer, Actimel Natur contains:

  • yogurt
  • skimmed milk
  • Sugar or liquid sugar
  • glucose
  • L. Casei Immunitas

According to the manufacturer's information, the Actimel products have the following nutritional values ​​(the information applies to the "Classic" version of the products per cup; the products with fruit or vanilla flavor usually have slightly different nutritional values, for example a higher calorific value):

ingredients Actimel Actimel 0.1% Actimel yogurt
Calorific value (kJ / kcal) 301/71 121/28 484/115
Protein (g) 2.8 2.8 5.1
Carbohydrates (g) 10.5 3.3 14.8
Fat (g) 1.6 0.1 3.7
Dietary fiber (g) 0 0 <0.1
Sodium (g) 0.04 0.04 0.06
Calcium (mg) k. A. k. A. 170
Bread units (BE) 0.9 0.3 k. A.

criticism

Most controversial are advertising claims that suggest a scientifically proven health-promoting effect. In 2009, Foodwatch awarded Actimel the golden cream puff. In a four-week voting process in spring 2009, German consumers voted the product the “most brazen advertising lie of the year”. Anne Markwardt from Foodwatch said: “ Actimel does not protect against colds - it strengthens the immune system just as well as traditional natural yogurt , but is four times as expensive and twice as sugary. “Danone claims, however, that the allegations are incorrect: Actimel has been shown to activate the immune system,“ this has been proven in more than 30 scientific studies. “In the UK, commercials for the product have been banned due to unproven positive effects on children's health.

Danone withdrew his applications to the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) in 2010 to confirm the alleged health benefits of Actimel and Activia . In France and Great Britain, the group also refrained from promoting the alleged digestive and immune-boosting effects of these products in commercials.

Also in 2010, Danone obtained an injunction against Agrarmarkt Austria before the Vienna Commercial Court , with which the AMA was prohibited from advertising claims such as “Every yogurt strengthens your immune system”. An appeal was filed against this preliminary injunction.

The Vienna Higher Regional Court also decided against the AMA in the second instance. This can therefore no longer claim that "Every yogurt strengthens your immune system".

See also: Health Claims Regulation

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Danone Actimel: Innovation Builds a Probiotic Mega-Brand ( Memento from March 5, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Rake in millions with yogurt. In: Spiegel Online , December 22, 2008
  3. ↑ Week 2 / 2015. In: derstandard.at. January 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Ingredients and nutritional values ​​Actimel Natur ( Memento from October 12, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ Active labeling fraud. In: abgepeist.de , March 30, 2009
  6. ↑ advertising lie -Antipreis for Actimel. In: Focus , March 20, 2009
  7. ↑ British advertising agency bans Actimel spots. In: Spiegel-Online , October 14, 2009.
  8. ↑ Danone changes Actimel advertising. In: Spiegel Online , April 15, 2010
  9. ↑ Lawsuit over yogurt. In: Wiener Zeitung , May 28, 2010, accessed on November 7, 2013
  10. ↑ Yogurt versus yogurt: AMA appeals against Danone judgment. In: Wiener Zeitung , June 10, 2010, accessed on November 6, 2013
  11. ↑ AMA loses again in the yogurt dispute. In: Wiener Zeitung , September 11, 2010, accessed on November 6, 2013

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