Pinkberry’s frozen swirls now legit, group says
April 17th, 2008, 1:42 pm · 3 Comments · posted by Nancy Luna
The National Yogurt Association has given Pinkberry’s frozen swirls a thumbs up.
The trade group said Pinkberry has been certified to use the organization’s “Live and Active Culture Seal.” The seal certifies that the chain’s frozen yogurt is exactly that — real yogurt.
The chain’s product, whose authenticity has been challenged by rivals, has “a significant number of live and active cultures - more than 10 million per gram at the time of manufacture,” the company said in a statement.
Pinkberry maintains that its product has always been yogurt.
“Pinkberry’s uniquely tangy nonfat frozen yogurt has generated a loyal consumer following in Southern California and New York,” said Ron Graves, chief executive officer of Pinkberry. “We applied for and received this certification to assure our customers that our product is and always has been made with real yogurt.”
The National Yogurt Association is the national trade association that represents manufacturers, distributors and marketers of Live and Active Culture yogurt, as well as suppliers in the industry.
In order for manufacturers to carry the Live and Active seal, refrigerated yogurt products must contain at least 100 million cultures per gram at the time of manufacture, and frozen yogurt products must contain 10 million cultures per gram at the time of manufacture, the trade group said.
Red Mango, a chic tart frozen yogurt chain expanding rapidly in the United States, also has the NYA Live and Active seal.
Daniel Kim, chief executive of the South Korean chain’s U.S. division, said his tart yogurt contains on average 400 million cultures per gram. Red Mango has two stores in Orange County.
Pinkberry is slated to open its 50th U.S. yogurt shop at Fashion Island in Newport Beach on April 25. Stay tuned for more details.
April 17th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Do you happen to know if the Pinkberry in Orange/Santa Ana is up and running yet?
April 17th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Yes, Inez…that Pinkberry at City Place opened a few months ago, actually. So, the Fashion Island Pinkberry would make , I believe, four in OC. There’s one in Irvine, Orange and HB.
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Nancy,
Did pinkberry send out a press release with this information? I’m curious to know your opinion on if you think they have handled this situation well and if you think their relationship with the media has benefitted them at all.