Be in the know to go with the froyo

It's always great having a cool treat on a hot summer day in Hong Kong. Besides ice cream, 'froyo' is becoming ever more popular, with frozen yogurt shops popping up across the city. Smooth froyos come in many flavours like pomegranate, green tea, taro and pistachio, and those with a sweet tooth can top it up with Oreo crunch, granola, gummy bears or mochi bits.

One of frozen yogurt's attractions is that it sounds like an attractive healthy alternative to ice cream. In Chinese, frozen yogurt is also called 'ice cream yogurt', and with some shops advertising their products as being low-fat and sugar- free, people have come to think of it as a healthy treat.

According to a yp.scmp.com poll, more than 75 per cent of our readers think 'it's at least better than ice cream,' and even 12 per cent think it is 'guilt-free'.

Leung Ka-hang, 18, from Buddhist Tai Kwong Chi Hong College, says: 'The main difference between them [frozen yogurt and normal yogurt] is the texture, but there's little nutritional difference since the ingredients are nearly the same.'

But a discussion with frozen yogurt shop owner Mr Pang reveals the truth behind the product. According to Pang, frozen yogurt can hardly be defined as yogurt. 'Frozen yogurt is the same thing as soft-serve ice cream,' he says.

As he explains, the basic ingredients for frozen yogurt are the same as soft-serve ice cream - powder that is mixed with water or milk and other ingredients like butter, sugar, cream or fruit.