Spain’s Kefir Dispute Expands as Agriculture Prepares Quality Rules
Manufacturers associated with the Spanish Association of Yogurt and Fresh Dairy Dessert Producers have questioned yeast levels reported in samples of Danone’s Activia Kefir, according to OKDIARIO. The reports concerned tests conducted by two independent laboratories between May and September 2026.
One set of tests covered 12 samples: ten reportedly contained fewer than 20 colony-forming units of yeast per gram, while the remaining two contained fewer than 100. In a second group of nine samples, eight results were below 10 units per gram and one was 120. The figures were published by OKDIARIO from reports it said it had obtained.
The publicly available information does not show that the studies were released in full, reviewed by a regulatory authority or used to issue an official finding against Danone. Their results therefore have not been established as proof of fraud or regulatory non-compliance. The relevant question is also whether the samples, storage conditions and testing methods can be compared directly with the applicable microbiological benchmark.
The Codex Alimentarius standard for fermented milks, CXS 243-2003, defines kefir through fermentation involving characteristic microorganisms. It sets a minimum of 10⁷ colony-forming units per gram for the specified culture as a whole and 10⁴ units per gram—10,000—for yeasts, with the criteria applying through the product’s minimum durability date when it has been stored as stated on the label.
Those international figures are not yet a Spanish kefir regulation. The Agriculture Ministry said the consultation is intended to establish requirements covering quality, production, marketing, naming and labelling for a category that currently lacks a specific harmonised national standard. The future rule will determine the legal requirements in Spain, including how viable yeasts and permitted cultures are treated.
Danone says Activia Kefir is legally described in Spain as “natural fermented milk, with bifidobacteria and kefir ferments and yeasts”. Its ingredient information lists bacteria and yeasts associated with the fermentation. The company also received an AENOR Compromisos Certificados certification this year. AENOR says the certification covers a natural fermentation process using yeasts, as well as labelling and quality-control commitments. The published certification description does not provide a count showing that 10,000 viable yeast units per gram remain present throughout the product’s shelf life.
The dispute follows an earlier claim by Danone that as many as 80% of kefir products sold in Spain might not meet the international definition. That claim referred to research by the University of Rovira i Virgili examining the labelling of 170 products; the study did not microbiologically test each product for yeast. European food-information rules do not always require microorganisms to be declared in a way that would establish their presence or absence from the label alone, and the university later published a corrigendum.
Different terminology is used in Germany and Austria, where Activia is sold as “kefir mild”. German rules distinguish between traditional Kefir and Kefir mild: the former involves characteristic grain cultures and includes provisions on carbon dioxide and ethanol, while the latter permits specified cultures derived from kefir grains and does not allow subsequent heat treatment. The differing frameworks mean that the German designation cannot by itself determine whether the Spanish product complies with Spanish requirements.
