Functional butter from Migros

Swiss retailer Migros launched a 'probiotic butter' last month, designed to promote health and offer a good taste sensation.

The company, which claims to sell around SF25 million (€17m) worth of probiotic bifidus milk products each year, said the item was launched as a substitute for bifidus butter, itself launched ten years ago.

The 'yoghurt butter', or sour cream, will offer a different texture and taste from other butter products. Addition of the probiotic bacteria was a secondary aim - Migros is aiming to produce a replacement for a previous product - although the retailer said this is an easy way of adding value to the yoghurt.

Beside traditional yoghurt bacteria (thermophilus and Lb.Bulgaricus) the butter also contains over 1 million bifidus lactis bacteria. A 200g tub is priced at SF3.20 - equal to comparable products, but entailing lower commodity costs because of its low fat content.

Sales at the Industrie Migros group reached SF4 billion (€2.7bn) for the first time last year. The co-operative is composed of 14 different companies including bakery and snacks producer Jowa, milk group Estavayer Lait, margarine producer Mifa and dairy processors Seba and Mifroma.