Another unclear food label - live cultures in yoghurt.

[awayandaway]

I have just discovered the bit on the yoghurt pot I was eating from that says "live cultures" and it is tiny.

Ok, it IS there, but it is very small, and I am dyslexic. I did check in the shop before picking it up, but I didn't see it.

I now have to contact my cancer nurse arrange a telephone conversation. Not that there is anything she can do now, I have eaten it.

I am going to contact the manufacturer and complain. Particularly on the grounds that a lot of people undergoing chemo are going to have temporary eyesight problems. But obviously, this is dangerous to other people too, not just cancer patients.

I think food with a content that poses a significant danger to a significant proportion of the population should have that warning written in a standard colour, so it is easy to skim the package standing in the super market isle, and find that warning.

There should be a list of ingredients that have to be printed in bright orange, or something, so that if you are scanning for a particular ingredient, and you don't see any bright orange, you know it isn't there.

Of course people who are severely colour blind might have to get someone else to scan for them, but that would solve this issue for most people most of the time, wouldn't it?

I am sorry you have caner @awayandaway , I hope your treatment goes well.

I wonder if it would be better to repost your concerns on this board
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/cancer .

I am sure lots of people that are actually going through treatment will be able to advise you.
But I would still have a chat with your nurse just to be sure.

You can give babies probiotics you know.

Young children are grand with yoghurt. My baby has been eating it since 6 months, as per nhs guidance.

You can't have lactose and you have been advised to avoid live cultures - I'm really struggling to understand why you would reach for a yoghurt at all to be honest.

And until people start warming to the idea of faecal transplant, probiotics aren't going to contain all 480 strains of bacteria, yet they are still helpful.

Yoghurt does not pose a SIGNIFICANT threat to a SIGNIFICANT percentage of the population.

Sorry, Central and South Eastern Europe and the Balkans. And the Russian Empire but I'm not sure where 'Western' ends to the OP.

Northern Europe too. Norway, Sweden and Finland all traditionally drink fermented milk products.

France, Germany and Benelux are pretty good at fermenting milk to make cheese.

I think it’s safe to say that fermenting milk is also European 🤷‍♀️

I am assuming that if this is real OP got the heat treated non lactose yogurt and simply didn't check if it's the one they add bacteria to later.

I often wonder where Western starts for many many people...

You are getting confused between live cultures and pro biotics. All yogurt will have live cultures. Some have probiotics added. It is these that should be avoided. It even says this on the NHS leaflet linked to up thread. Normal yogurt and greek yogurt without these added are fine and recommended as part of a healthy diet on chemo

Live yoghurt is absolutely fine for babies.

And bacteria is literally everywhere.

Yes, pretty much wherever there's been milk, there's been ways to preserve it. Not just to make it more digestible like the OP said. Spring calving means gluts of milk and times when the cows are dried off, not a consistent supply

Just wait until you find out that buttermilk/karnemelk i.e. fermented milk is regularly consumed in the Netherlands, and for sale right next to normal milk.

Maybe travel a bit more before you make grand statements about what 'western' people traditionally consume.

Admittedly the UK is further west than the Netherlands.

There’s a horrible tone to many of the answers on this thread.
Hope you’re ok @awayandaway
The advice is unclear, and you have special reason to be anxious— not sure why it’s turned into such a bunfight.

Sorry you are not well OP but yoghurt is a really good food for children to eat. Please don't give out information to people that will stop them feeding their children nutritious things. Obviously unpasteurised yoghurt would carry more risks, and those with lots of added sugar but not standard yoghurt.

Fermented foods in general are beneficial to the vast majority.

This is misinformation. Yoghurt is suitable for babies from six months. Added sugar or sweeteners should be avoided. Honey should not be given until one.

This is absolutely a misunderstanding.
I did an entire undergraduate project on yogurt-making bacteria. Yogurt is a fermented milk product which originated as a traditional way of preserving milk. For yogurt making the milk is indeed pasteurised first so that the yogurt bacteria aren't working on contaminated milk. The bacteria added (various lactobacilli mainly) consume the sugars in milk and produce acids. This results in a stable product that is highly resistant to spoilage by other bacteria.
The lactobacilli themselves are harmless. They cannot infect humans. Yogurt is safe not because it's pasteurised or because your stomach acid kills the bacteria. It's safe because it never had anything harmful in it in the first place.
Lactobacilli and fermented foods can certainly cause problems for people with an intolerance. But yogurt bacteria are certainly not harmful to the vast majority of people and certainly not all children. Ask an Indian family - they often use home made yogurt in the diet for all the family.
I'm a H&S professional and specialise in biological safety. I promise you, lactobacilli are by definition non infectious and non hazardous.

WebMD suggests the risk from one yoghurt is low even with a weakened immune system.

"Weakened immune system: Although rare, live bacteria in yogurt can might cause illness in people with weakened immune systems. If you have a weakened immune system, talk to your healthcare provider before eating large amounts of yogurt that contain live bacteria for prolonged periods of time."

The yoghurt bacteria themselves are not usually an issue....unless you eat a lot then you might get an imbalance. The issue is if a yoghurt contains live cultures then it hasn't been through any process to kill the bacteria....and any bad bacteria that may have been present due to contamination will still be present.

High quality yoghurt produced my reputable manufacturers with pasteurised milk is probably going to be OK.

OP you don't need to discuss with a nurse....as you say nothing they can do. Just look out for symptoms of illness but I think you'll be fine.

Can we see the packet?

This is getting way off topic here.
Where you think it's good or bad for you, if you knew you had to steer clear of something, then it's your responsibility to check the label. It was stated on the label, so unfortunately it's down to you if you didn't notice it.

I'm a nurse for 20 years and sorry but I find her advice utterly bullshit

Yoghurt is encouraged as a food for children due to the live cultures and calcium content

Sorry to be blunt OP but I honestly think you're completely cracked

If you were to avoid everything that could potentially upset the body's microbiome then you wouldn't be using soap, drinking water, using a new toothbrush every.time you brush your teeth, drink milk or any sort of milk products especially cheese

Please stop spreading hysteria about yoghurt. Chill

Respectfully, that sounds like a load of rubbish. There are microbes on literally everything you eat and touch. Do you really think there are no live bacteria on the skin of an apple?

There is no risk to a child of weaning age from eating yoghurt.

Yeah, I don't believe the nurse said half of that. As much as I am understanding tp the issues of immunocompromised people, the only misinformation is really coming from you and apparently your nurse.

Maybe as someone in UK (sorry everyone) you look at eating yogurts and fermented foods as part of healthy diet as falling for advertisements, but us from many other places call it inherited wisdom from many many generations before. And that's why we have digestive systems of steel. 🤷

Was your yogurt sold by lad named Aiden?