While specially formulated to meet the unique nutritional needs of its northern latitude consumers, Mat Maid has created a superior product that redefines the national yogurt category.  Not one other brand in the US market comes close to the level of vitamin and mineral fortification in these yogurts – and not one has the superior HOWARU™ live probiotic cultures. 

Matanuska Maid one of the first dairy processors in North America approved to use these premium probiotic cultures, provided by Danisco USA, under the trademarked name HOWARU™.  "Including HOWARU™ Dophilus and HOWARU™ Bifido in all our yogurts is part of our ongoing effort to provide the healthiest choices for our customers. We selected Danisco as our source for probiotics because they provide uniquely premium strains.  The HOWARU™ probiotics are some of the most researched cultures on the market … in more than 20 clinical studies they have been documented to impart unique and significant health benefits to subjects from the age of 3 to 85.” said Joseph W. VanTreeck, CEO of Matanuska Maid.  “For a company recently celebrating its 70th anniversary, our consumer age group includes three generations of our loyal customers,” VanTreeck noted.  Now Alaskans have ten more reasons to reach for the Mat Maid brand when shopping the dairy aisle of their local grocery store.

“Beyond great flavors, the nutritional and whole-body health value of Mat Maid’s yogurt leaves the rest of the yogurt category behind in a swath of blowing snow.  For parents, this yogurt is a wonderful replacement for snacks that are high in calories but empty in nutrition,” said Gail A Marshall, PhD, of Alaska Brands Group, a nutrition advisor to Mat Maid. “More importantly, this is a delicious and convenient way to incorporate the preventive healthcare value of probiotic cultures in your diet.”

The word probiotic comes from the Greek word “for life”.  While these good bacterial cultures are essential for human health from the beginning of life, extensive scientific research in recent years continues to reveal more reasons why.  “Consider the digestive tract, literally being open and accessible to the outside world from one end to the other, exposes thousands of square inches of surface area that could support the growth of potentially harmful bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli.” said Dr. Marshall.  “Beneficial, health-promoting bacteria, such as the HOWARU™ Bifido (B. Lactis) HOWARU™ Dophilus (L. Acidophilus) probiotics found in Mat Maid’s new yogurts, out-compete the growth harmful bacteria, and become the dominant population of digestive tract microflora. While bad bacteria can threaten the health of the host [you and me], probiotic bacteria support a healthy immune system while aiding the digestion of food.”

The ‘probiotic movement’ has been growing in awareness in North America over the past few years.   Not only in the world, but now in Alaska, consumers can find healthy dairy products that support the traditional calcium and vitamins you’d expect in yogurt, yet now offer a ‘concentration’ of nutrients filling the gap in a busy day in which many people do not have the adequate nutrition they need.  A new slogan “When every bite counts” on each package of yogurt offers the challenge to the consumer to ensure that they make the best choices for health, particularly exchanging sugary snack foods with a more healthy choice.  

And there’s more.  HOWARU™ and fiber, too!  Each serving of Mat Maid’s new premium probiotic yogurt contains 11% of the daily requirement of dietary fiber. “Inulin is a soluble fiber that also functions as a ‘prebiotic,’ which stimulates the growth, multiplication and activity of beneficial probiotic bacteria such as HOWARU™,” said Dr. Marshall. “Few other brands offer any fiber at all in their yogurts,” she added.  “Just like a favorite tune that you can’t get out of your mind, every time someone asks ‘how are you?’, HOWARU™ is the first thing that comes to my mind!”

To complete the yogurt formula, vitamin D was added as an additional benefit for Alaskans, who lack exposure to adequate sunlight during the deepest parts of
mid-winter.  Without that sunlight and adequate nutrition many have a vitamin D deficiency, which can affect one’s overall teeth, bone and muscle health. A third of the daily allowance of vitamin D is in every cup.

Matanuska Maid is not new to the offering of probiotic products for its consumers. In the early 1990’s, Matanuska Maid began the search for an Asian probiotic product that would it would be able to manufacture in its Anchorage plant. After extensive research in Japan and Korea, of the Yakult™ style beverages offered there, the decision was made to formulate a similar product and offer it for local and export markets. After a year of research, Matanuska Maid introduced “Glacier Yo™” to consumers in Alaska and select markets on the West Coast of the United States.

Complete information with background science and research concerning premium
probiotics, nutrition and the HOWARU™ formulation, can be found at
http://www.matmaid.com/yogurt.

Matanuska Maid is one of the most northern dairy processors in the world. From its manufacturing facility in Anchorage, Alaska, Matanuska Maid provides a complete line of dairy, juice and beverage products.  More information is available online at http://www.matmaid.com, or by calling 907 561-5223.