Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Activia yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this popular and gut-focused yoghurt.

For this review we have tested the vanilla flavour.

This yoghurt is available widely in Australian supermarkets.

Ingredients of Activia yoghurt

There’s a lot to unpack here so let’s start by listing the full ingredients:

milk
water
milk solids
thickener (1442)
flavours
lemon pulp
live lactic acid cultures
enzyme (lactase)
sweetener (steviol glycosides)
vanilla bean (0.01%)
salt
natural colour (160a).

Now that is a long list of ingredients and that’s not usually a good thing! Other yoghurts on the market (like Tamar Valley and Farmers Union) only include milk products (eg milk, cream, milk solids) and cultures.

So it’s fair to say that Activia is not an authentic, traditional yoghurt given the extensive ingredients, especially its use of water, flavours, thickeners, sweeteners and colourings.

Given the amount of marketing Activia does to position itself as the best gut-friendly yoghurt in Australia, you might be questioning whether Activia is the real deal at this point - but there are some positives.

Benefits of Activia yoghurt

This yoghurt has various health benefits, especially related to its probiotics.

Probiotics

Activia has four strains of probiotics (ie live beneficial microbes) - Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis CNCM I-2494, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. The last three of these are common in yoghurts, but the first one is unique to Activia and a key selling point.

As they state on their website, this strain is a “unique probiotic bacteria that has undergone clinical studies and is scientifically proven for its ability to survive in the digestive system”.

This is definitely a big plus because if the probiotics don’t make it to your gut alive, they aren’t particularly helpful.

In terms of the amount of bacteria, there are 3.5 billion colony forming units per 100g - which compares very well to other brands.

Fibre

Activia also includes lemon pulp which provides fibre. The pectin in lemon pulp is a prebiotic fibre which means it feeds the good bacteria in your gut and helps them multiply to create a healthy microbiome.

Enzymes

Avtivia includes lactase which is the enzyme your body uses to break down lactose.

This is included presumably to ease digestion and make it more suitable for people with some degree of lactose intolerance.

Calcium

Active is very high in calcium - even beating Farmers Union which is another high-calcium yoghurt.

It has 165mg per 100g vs 162mg per 100g for Farmers Union.

Protein

Activia also has a good level of protein at 5.2%. This puts it above Farmers Union and Tamar Valley, but below protein-focused yoghurts like Chobani (8.6%).

Other health measures

Activia is quite low in fat at 3.9%. That is less than half that of Farmers Union and Tamar Valley - which are over 9%!

Activia is also on the low side for sodium (55mg per 100g) which is lower than Farmers Union and Tamar Valley.

Appearance

This yoghurt appears very thick and maintains a very clumpy and ridged shape in the bowl. No doubt thanks to the added thickener!

Texture

The texture is thick as expected, but a bit different from the luxurious, creamy thickness of Tamar Valley which comes from the high fat content. In contrast, the thickness in Activia comes from the added thickener which is a modified starch.

Flavour

It has a normal soured milk aroma with vanilla notes.

In terms of taste, it is surprisingly low in sourness. The vanilla comes through nicely and there is a little citrus in the background.

Overall, the taste is fine and approachable but not very deep or complex. There is something about the texture which isn’t quite right if you’re used to natural yoghurts which don’t use thickeners.

Cost of Activia yoghurt

The normal retail price for a 500g pack (of 4x125g tubs) from Coles or Woolworths is $5.75. This makes it one of the most expensive yoghurt options in supermarkets on a per gram basis.

Summary

4.25 stars out of 5.

A gut-focused yoghurt with great probiotics and an approachable taste. It does include a lot of (not necessarily nasty) additives so it isn’t a traditional-style yoghurt.

Pros

scientifically proven probiotics
high in calcium
source of fibre
low in fat

Cons

a lot of additives including thickeners, flavourings, sweeteners and colourings
expensive
the texture isn’t luxuriously creamy like other brands (with higher fat levels)

Activia yoghurt review

Ingredients of Activia yoghurt