Greek yogurt: popular with adults,

The question is a critical one for General Mills, which is a dominant player in yogurt for kids, with about half the market. It’s also important to Chobani, the leader in the Greek yogurt category, which is stepping up its courtship of kids — and their parents.

It’s a difficult question to answer, though. That’s because the same reasons some adults prefer Greek yogurt over the traditional yogurts may not mean much to children.

Some adults like Greek yogurt for its bitter taste and the thicker consistency that it has because of the way it’s strained. Some health-conscious adults also like it because it has less fat and more protein. But children are a different story: they generally like foods that are sweet and don’t care about how much protein is in their snacks.

“Whether the benefits of Greek yogurt are meaningful to children or not remains to be seen,” said Ian Friendly, the chief operating officer for the U.S. retail division of General Mills, during an interview with reporters at an industry conference on Tuesday.

But the fact that companies are looking at marketing Greek yogurt to kids is a natural progression of a growing market. Since 2007, Greek yogurt has gone from 1 percent of the market to 36 percent, with Chobani accounting for about half the market, according to a report by Bernstein Research. The report noted that Greek yogurt could continue growing and peak at more than half of the broader yogurt market in the U.S.

General Mills sees an opportunity to lure at least some children. Last month, the company introduced its “Pro-Force” Greek yogurt, which is marketed for tweens and older children. But the Minneapolis-based company declined to say whether it has any plans to make a Greek yogurt variety of Go-Gurt, the popular squeezable yogurt it makes for younger kids.

To tap into the kids market, Chobani last month introduced “Chobani ChampionsTubes” in flavors such as “Chillin’ Cherry” and “Jammin’ Strawberry,” posing a direct challenge to General Mills’ Go-Gurt. The company first moved into kids territory in 2011, with the introduction of “Chobani Champions,” which comes is marketed toward slightly older kids.