Yoplait and The Solae Company have joined forces to introduce a new Yoplait Solae co-branded product that combines the health benefits of dairy and soy proteins in a "good for your body" spoonable yogurt.

The new product, Bioplait, contains Solae brand soy protein and Yoplait fermented dairy know-how. It is being launched in France and is the result of months of research and development. The product comes in three flavors (original, strawberry and peach) and is available throughout France.

Yoplait is supporting the launch of Bioplait with a television and print advertising campaign, which features the Solae co-brand as a "great-tasting" and "good for your body" protein. Product packaging also underscores soy protein's role as a complete protein which can help maintain a healthy heart.

"The introduction of Bioplait addresses growing consumer demand for new healthy, nutritious and convenient foods to add to their daily diet," said Lucien Fa, Yoplait's president. "While yogurt is already acknowledged as a healthy food, incorporating the additional health benefits of Solae soy protein will maximize consumer interest, especially since The Solae Company has cracked the code in providing a product that delivers on both taste and nutrition."

According to Tony Arnold, president and chief executive officer of The Solae Company, "We are delighted to partner with a global market leader like Yoplait. Bioplait is a perfect example of how the valuable consumer insights we gather through intensive market research and our relentless pursuit of taste and functional solutions for our customers combine to bring successful products to the marketplace."

Arnold said Bioplait joins a growing list of more than 40 co-branded products in the U.S. and globally that currently utilize Solae brand soy protein as a "trust mark" of great-tasting nutrition.

Both Fa and Arnold credit the launch of Bioplait to steadily increasing consumer recognition of the health benefits of soy protein. In the U.S. alone, 74% of Americans perceive soy protein as a healthy dietary choice. In France, the number is similar. To help provide additional information on the health benefits of soy protein for consumers, both the U.S. and European governmental agencies have approved health claims in the past, linking the consumption of soy protein with lowering cholesterol, and are currently reviewing petitions for new health claims. In the U.S., The Food and Drug Administration is expected to make a decision in late spring on a qualified health claim linking soy protein consumption with a reduced risk of breast, prostate and gastrointestinal cancers.