Dannon Pledge
This post contains content sponsored by The Dannon Company, Inc. The opinions expressed in my post are my own. For more information on Dannon’s move toward sustainable agriculture, naturality and transparency,and non gmo ingredients visit www.dannonpledge.com and www.dannon.com/ingredients. Consumers in the U.S. want honest food and clear, easy to understand labeling. More and more of us would like to walk into the grocery store and shop without needing a magnifying glass and a bunch of research to understand what we’re buying. We’re more careful about what companies we support and we want to know what’s going on in their fields & factories.
The Dannon Pledge on Sustainable Agriculture, Naturality & Transparency is driven by what their customers want. Some of Dannon’s top selling brands are moving towards natural, non-synthetic, non GMO ingredients and even non GMO feed for a portion of the cows that make the milk for the products. Did you know that Dannon is the FIRST national yogurt company to do that? By the end of 2017, any of Dannon’s products that contain GMOs will be clearly labeled as such.
These changes include products from the Dannon, Oikos and Danimals brands (these three brands make up about half of their sales). Did you know that most cow feed in the U.S. is genetically modified? Dannon is working with their suppliers and partners to plant non GMO feed so that by the end of 2017, ALL products from Dannon with be made with non GMO ingredients and milk from cows fed non GMO feed! Many experts feel that the currently approved GMOs are safe but there is a growing demand from consumers for non GMO products and Dannon is driven by their customers. Whether or not the government requires GMO labeling, Dannon will do it by December 2017.
To ensure animal welfare, they plan that 90%+ of their milk supply will come from Validus Certified farms this year. The Validus certification means the food is produced with socially responsible practices and the facility has undergone detailed assessments & audits. Animal welfare criteria include humane animal handling, herd health procedures, food & water quality, comfortable & clean housing and more.
Dannon values water/energy use and sustainable agriculture. They are focusing on improving soil health and reducing carbon emission & energy use. All of these steps lead so a more sustainable farm. They want to maintain transparency about the practices on dairy farms so customers can be confident they know what they’re getting and what sort of company they’re supporting by making a purchase.
In addition to moving towards non GMO ingredients, Dannon is using ingredients, like sugar and starch, that are more natural and non-synthetic. I really like the Oikos Triple Zero coffee flavor & my kids are obsessed with Danimals and I love that Dannon is making them with simpler ingredients. Ultimately, Dannon’s goal is to receive third party certification.
You can follow their timeline and progress on their website, and read the full Dannon pledge. Be sure to like Dannon on Facebook and follow @Dannon on Twitter.
What do you think of the Dannon pledge and the changes the company is making?
Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
Dannon is a major staple in our household. All 4 kids eat and Hubby takes two a day for his work snacks. Happy cows and farmers make happy yogurt!
I love the Oikos Toasted Coconut Vanilla. It’s actually my favorite yogurt ever! I’m glad Dannon is changing for the better. We try to avoid synthetics and GMOs as much as possible.
They sound like good first steps, but a lot more needs to be done in the future. I’m glad that big brands are starting to pay attention to what goes in their food!
I appreciate when companies are transparent with their labeling. It puts more confidence in me as a consumer knowing what & where my money is going. I love the peach Oikos yogurt & my son loves his Danimals!
This is great news! All we eat is Oikos triple zero so this makes me very happy with our choice. I am still undecided on GMO safety but I try and buy GMO free and eco minded brands as much as possible
It didn’t seem like such a big deal until I had my baby. Now I think a lot more about what I eat and what I will feed her when she begins eating food. Thanks Dannon for making this change.