Bifidus Actiregularis, Bifidus Regularis, Bifidus Digestivum, Bifidobacterium Lactis and its variants are marketing names generated by Danone (known in the United States of America as Dannon) for one of the specific bacteria it uses in its “Activia” range of yoghurt products.
According to a reply received from Dannon by the Writerious blog, Bifidus Regularis (and therefore presumably all the variations of Bifidus…) is a proprietary strain of Bifidobacterium.
The source of “Bifidus” is from the intestinal bacterium Bifidobacterium animalis, a kind of bacteria found in the large intestines of most mammals, including humans. “Actiregularis” is an invented word, the first half of which which emphasises the active nature of the bacteria. In common with with Bifidus Regularis, the “regularis” part emphasises being “regular” and the “is” at the end suggests a scientific derivation. The bacteria is known as Bifidus Actiregularis in UK marketing materials and Bifidus Regularis in marketing materials from the USA.
Bifidus Actiregularis used to be called Bifidus Digestivum in UK marketing materials. “Digestivum” is an invented word which uses “digestive” as a root to suggest beneficial effects on digestion, combined with the latinate ending “um” to suggest a scientific derivation.
It is known as Bifidobacterium Lactis in Canadian marketing materials, where Lactis uses the Latin root for milk (“lac” / “lact-”) and “is” to suggest a scientific derivation.
It is known as “Digestivum Essensis” in German and Austrian marketing materials. These are both invented words, the first emphasising digestion and the second emphasising the “essential” nature of the nutrition, using latinate endings to suggest a scientific derivation.
The name of the bacteria changes from country to country and over time, to reflect differences in marketing strategy and consumer behaviour. One suggestion for the change in the UK from Bifidus Digestivum from Bifidus Actiregularis is that Bifidus Digestivum was so ridiculed it become a liability – do a Google search for Bifidus Digestivum to see the results.
The scientifically correct name for the bacteria is “Bifidobacterium animalis DN 173 010″.
Read more about probiotics, intestinal flora, Danone’s marketing strategy and what’s in Activia, Danactive and Actimel using the More information menu on the right.
Comments
Bifidus Regularis was designed by marketeers to con the uneducated into thinking they were listening to bio-medical terminology. The name is utterly insulting to the rest of us and I haven’t purchased their products in years because of this. The TV ads are infuriating.
Posted by Marketing Malarky on 9th February 2010
Hilarious!!
Posted by Jamie and Emma on 7th February 2010
I’m marketing my own yogurt “Stupida” … it’s got Bifadus Redicularis. It doesn’t do a thing for digestion. But it will make you believe every moronic claim used in it’s advertising! Mmmmm … Stupida … it’s “Bifalicious”! That’s doctor talk for yummy stuff that makes you smart …. “Redicularisly Smart”! … Yea!
Posted by Steve on 7th February 2010
Having crohn’s disease, I am always looking for the truth. I knew intuitively that bifidusregularus HAD to be a manufactured word. Shame on them, shame shame. Too many folks buy this snake oil yogurt in hopes of good health,
Posted by Carolyn on 6th February 2010
as a microbiologist these commercials crack me up as do the middle classs soccer moms who discuss this at the gymn as tho they are being all medically scientifically n stuff … funny to see ad firms able to get women to obsess of bowel movements and pay a 20+% premium over regular yogurt and just plain fresh fruit in order to ‘do it’
Posted by Microbio on 6th February 2010
The commercials make me want to puke (maybe I need some bacteria, how about “antinausium nonvomitis”)
Posted by Fred on 6th February 2010
I will most definately test your B.S. Conclusion!
Posted by Thank You on 2nd February 2010
We have enjoyed all the comments shared on this blog……..
We knew B.R. was BS and use it in gest often…….
Shame on Jamie
Good Work :)
Posted by Jeanne and Paul Wake Forest, N.C. on 30th January 2010
thanks for the straight talk regularis
Posted by stuman on 29th January 2010
Unscrupulous Advertisers will through Phonic strategem, utilize the B.S. factor for the aid of the chronically illiterate and Scientificopathologically stupid. So if my B.S. comment seems literarily cogent, then I have just given you an infusion of “Engfish”, and that is, when people of high monitary paychecks and unscrupulous moral character, go “Fishing” for prefixual and suffixual “Bovine Excrement” to carry out their Barnumus Baileyificus stratagem, to take away your hard earned money….with their “B-$%#@”…claims of magical ingredients never found in any plastic container to date, but found in the gut of mamalian digestive systems, along with Fecal Coloforms that are there present as well, and we all know what these bacteriums can do to human digestive systems from under cooked meat.
So watch how much and what you eat, and eat your green leaf vegetables. buy the cheap yogurt with, Lactobacillus Acidophillus bacterium and not Bifidus Regularis! It is “L.A. Bacteria, that makes milk to clabber or firm up. Digestive upsets where bouts of antibiotics have depleted all useful bacteria in the gut, can be recolonized with plain yogurt. Soooo, any brand of yogurt will work, and Dannon is just overpriced B.S…er…B.R. infused Yogurt! So save your money, and peace of mind, and get anything but Dannon, that has natural lactose fixing bacterium as it’s main component! My wifey just quoted Benjamin Franklin, to sum up my linguistic diatribe, from the intelectually stymulating mind of this Historic Statesman and signer of the Declaration of Independence….A fool and their money are soon parted!
So to sum up my Bifidus Regularis diatribe, it is as it sounds…”Regularus Bifidis Monotonis Scientificus
“B.S.-icus”…I restus my casicus! Amen.
Posted by James on 29th January 2010
We I found this VERY helpful – thank you for your help
Posted by Kay Martin on 27th January 2010
That was a typo……….. yogurt I meant, not yougurt. Oops again.
Posted by Enter your name here on 26th January 2010
So all yougurt has the same bacteria and Dannon used a made up name for it. I suspected as much. Oh and if they used a better looking, unknown actress, the stuff might cost a little less. I’ll withhold my opinions of Jaimee Lee Curtis other than to say she used to be way hotter and seems to be deliberately aging herself. Oops!
Posted by Enter your name here on 26th January 2010
O.M.G. I though this was a site to get information and feedback about Bifidus Regularis not a 3rd grade lesson in languages. Kristina, Girlfriend you need to get over yourself.
Posted by Lori on 26th January 2010
I’d strongly recommend taking probiotics in a supplement rather than a yoghurt, with a company which uses real names for the probiotic genus, species and strain. I take OptiBac (www.optibacprobiotics.co.uk) and am very confident in the quality of their probiotic strains. If Activia is actually using Bifidobacterium animalis, they should surely call it that in their adverts, website etc.
Posted by George Wood on 19th January 2010
thought this site was about bacteria not linguistics.
Posted by Willow on 19th January 2010
Since eating Dannon Activia, I have noticed I have alot of congestion and coughing. Could this be relaated in any way?
Posted by Marybeth Bangert on 18th January 2010
Response to Sue- “Is it Yogurt, or Yoghurt?”
First, American is not a language, it is a nationality. One can not speak “American!” Americans speak English. To say that we speak American would be like saying that someone who was English spoke British!
Secondly, all English is a language that derives from multiple languages. Whereas languages such as French, Spanish, and Italian have Latin roots. There are variations of English that are recognized by the linguistic world. Usually noted as English(US) & English(UK).
As far as your assumption that Americans need help in pronunciation as the basis for your guess to the differences in spelling are completely incorrect. A majority of the words of US English with a different spelling, ie program/programme, are merely because linguists felt that there were redundant and unnecessary letters, thus the words were shortened!
Posted by Kristina on 17th January 2010
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