Danone Sues Chobani Over ‘20g Protein’ Content Claim
Danone North America filed suit Monday (June 15) against Chobani, claiming the Greek yogurt company is using a larger serving size to claim an equivalent amount of protein as Danone’s Oikos Pro.
Chobani sells its “20g Protein” yogurt in 6.7-oz. tubs and it says it supplies 20g of protein in that serving size in its 32-oz. containers. Danone supplies Oikos Pro and other yogurts in 5.3-oz. cups, claiming that has become an industry-standard portion size. Oikos Pro delivers 20g of protein in that smaller size.
By doing the math, Danone says Chobani’s 20g Protein yogurt would only deliver 16g of protein in a comparable 5.3-oz. serving.
Reuters news service says the lawsuit is at least the fourth since 2016 between Danone and Chobani, two of the biggest sellers of Greek-style yogurt. Coincidentally, Reuters adds, Chobani has asked a Manhattan federal judge to dismiss Danone's separate lawsuit claiming Chobani copied Stok packaging and the "Bright & Mellow" slogan for a line of Chobani-owned La Colombe cold brew coffee.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.