Yogurt gains popularity

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Yogurt has become a popular ingredient in the United States for everything from toothpaste to pet food to cereal.

"You'll know it's gone too far when you start seeing yogurt beer," Tom Vierhile, director of Datamonitor's Productscan Online, told USA Today.

NPD Group, a market research company, says that 20 years ago almost 10 percent of the population reported eating yoghurt at least once every two weeks. Now, more than 20 percent have become yogurt eaters.

Sales continue to increase, rising 7 percent in one year, according to A.C. Nielsen.

Yogurt has also infiltrated the fast-food industry, with McDonald's offering yogurt parfaits and thinking about a yogurt breakfast drink, while Wendy's has a yogurt-granola combination.

While yogurt with live cultures is healthy, one reason for the explosion of yogurt-flavored cereals and other foods is that many people like the taste.