Jaunted

Pinkberry frozen powdered desert is, alas, not yogurt. It is a sweet powder like the Orange Julius powder mix (however with artificial sweetener I believe) combined with water or milk. It tastes like yogurt but so does imitation banana flavor, for example, taste like bananas.

On why Pinkberry is so profitable:

Powdered mixes cost much less to buy and to prepare than yogurt which is made in a dairy under the safest of sanitary conditions... The costs associated with real yogurt, which is shipped in from the dairy and must be discarded if not sold from the machine within 24 hours, are eliminated with the Pinkberry model just as, of course, the actual yogurt is eliminated as well. Powdered mixes can virtually be stored forever. They charge the same as the yogurt shops or more with a fraction of the perishable product-based expenses.

On the Y-word:

I was truly disappointed by the misleading advertising by the owners who had to know Pinkberry was not yogurt all along. It tasted good, but I surely thought I was getting the benefits of real yogurt with the same taste and not a powdered dessert mix instead... The Pinkberry powdered desert mix is edible and tasty but just not worth the price of yogurt and, of course, should never be referred to as yogurt.

So what's to be done?

Many true frozen yogurt shops such as Angelina's in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills have now added a "naturale" flavor, which is just as tart and refreshing as the Pinkberry frozen powdered dessert but is real yogurt with whatever natural organic benefits real yogurt has had for years. With "Naturale" flavor when you add the same toppings as at Pinkberry you get real yogurt and the same taste for the same basic price which is a much better value.

Related Stories:
· Pinkberry Conversation [Jaunted]

Have more info on what is in Pinkberry? The Pinkberry open thread is here.

[Photo: gezellig-girl.com]