Lifeway Kefir Called 'Best Dairy-based Smoothie' by Consumer Reports in Recent Smoothie Test

Taste-Test Evaluates 12 Packaged, Refrigerated Smoothie Brands

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Apr 09, 2010, 02:48 ET

MORTON GROVE, Ill., April 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lifeway Foods, makers of the nutritious probiotic beverage Kefir, has been called the "best dairy-based smoothie" in a blind taste-test performed by the May 2010 issue of Consumer Reports, a large monthly magazine that publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services.

The article says Lifeway Kefir is "thick and yogurtlike, with a mild, fresh-tasting strawberry flavor." Consumer Reports also mentions the health benefits associated with Lifeway Kefir, saying, "Three of the four dairy-based smoothies contain yogurt; Lifeway has kefir, a cultured beverage similar to yogurt that is claimed to have twice the amount of live and active cultures in regular yogurt. Lifeway also has the most protein of all, at 11 grams per serving."

According to Consumer Reports, "To see which [smoothies] are worth sipping, our trained tasters tried 12 packaged, refrigerated smoothies that are either juice- or dairy-based. We also had 34 boys and girls ages 6 to 17 tell us which of four smoothies they preferred; and we had tasters sample offerings from two smoothie chains."

Similar to yogurt but far more beneficial, Lifeway Kefir has seven to ten billion CFU's of ten live and active cultures per cup that are known to help promote better health. These friendly, probiotic bacteria fortify the consumer's body and may help to boost immunity, improve digestion, ward off side effects from antibiotics, fight lactose intolerance and may even aid in weight loss.

The report appears in the May issue of Consumer Reports, currently on newsstands. To view the full Consumer Reports article, visit http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/may/food/smoothies/overview/smoothies-ov.htm.

About Lifeway Foods

Lifeway Foods, Inc., recently named one of Fortune Small Business' Fastest Growing Companies for the 4th consecutive year, is America's leading supplier of the cultured dairy product known as Kefir, and America's leading supplier of Organic Kefir. Lifeway Kefir is a dairy beverage that contains 10 exclusive live and active probiotic cultures. While most regular yogurt contains only two or three of these "friendly" cultures, Lifeway Kefir products offer even more nutritional benefits. Lifeway produces 12 different flavors of its drinkable Kefir and Organic Kefir beverage, and recently introduced a series of innovative new products such as a children's line of Organic Kefir products called ProBugs (TM) with a no-spill pouch and kid-friendly flavors like Orange Creamy Crawler, Goo Berry Pie, and Sublime Slime Lime. In addition to its line of Kefir products, the company produces a variety of probiotic cheese products, and a line of products marketed in US Hispanic communities called La Fruta Drinkable Yogurt (yogurt drinks distinct from Kefir). Lifeway also sells frozen kefir and kefir smoothies through its Starfruit retail stores.

SOURCE Lifeway Foods, Inc.