All over the world there is an increasing consumer awareness of the potential influence of various foodstuffs on our health. Today dairy products are expected to be more just food. They have to taste well, appeal and give pleasure, provide of well-being, provide specific health benefits and prevent disease. This paper reviews the different types of fermented milks and their microflora and includes recent work on yogurt, soft cheese and buttermilks, kefir and koumiss. There is considerable interest in the new health promoting products which are now available. Meanwhile during the last decade a new generation of fermented milk products containing selected intestinal bacteria has been introduced to the markets. These are discussed in the light of some recent findings on the ability to lower the blood cholesterol concentration and stimulate the immune response and also describes some fermented milk products available, selection criteria for commercial starter cultures.