How does the new lower-sugar Yoplait yogurt taste?

A new commercial for Yoplait Original yogurt touting the brand's new version with 25 percent less sugar announces you can say "adieu to sugar because it still tastes good." Some of the comments posted on Twitter as well as on the company's website and Facebook pages, though,  disagree with that assessment. In our tests of vanilla yogurts, our panel of trained sensory experts had given the original "Original" French vanilla a Good rating for taste and nutrition, so we wanted to see for ourselves how things had changed.

Knowing the company was planning to roll out the new formula late this spring, our shoppers picked up samples of the old formula weekly so our sensory panel could do a blind side-by-side comparison taste test as soon as the new lower-sugar Yoplait yogurt popped up in supermarkets near our Yonkers, New York, headquarters.

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A label check showed clear improvement in the nutrition department. At 26 grams of sugars per 6-ounce container, Yoplait Original French vanilla was one of highest sugar yogurts in our yogurt Ratings, so the drop to 18 grams was welcome news, especially since the company did not add sweeteners like aspartame or stevia at the same time. Now, Yoplait French vanilla is among the lowest sugar vanilla yogurts in our tests, except for those that contain artificial sweeteners. The calories dropped from 170 to 150 and the protein increased from 5 to 6 grams, too.

Then it was time to taste. The sensory panelists received portions of the new and old versions of the yogurt, but didn't know which sample was which. "The old formula was yellowish and the new one was white, so we did our taste test in a special booth equipped with red lights to mask the visual differences. That way, the panelists' assessments wouldn't be influenced by the appearance of the yogurts," says Consumer Reports' project leader Amy Keating, R.D.

The results: The new Yoplait had a "thicker texture," a more "straightforward" vanilla character, and was "slightly less sweet" than its predecessor. Overall, our panelists judged the new Yoplait to be "higher in quality" than the old yogurt.

Why did our panelists have a more favorable impression of lower-sugar Yoplait than some of the brand's customers? "It could be that they were commenting on other flavors. To be consistent with our previous test, we only compared the French vanilla flavor," says Keating. "But sometimes knowing that what you're eating is different from what you're used to can impact your taste buds. That's why all of our food testing is blinded. Even trained taste experts can have subtle, preconceived biases."

With less sugar, fewer calories, more protein, and a higher quality flavor, the new Yoplait Original French Vanilla makes a good snack or breakfast option. For the price (60 cents per 6-ounce container), the new lower-sugar Yoplait yogurt is good for your wallet too. Here's hoping more food companies, like Yoplait, make their foods healthier, and tastier, while still being affordable.

—Calla Deitrick