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A class action lawsuit claims Chobani Greek Yogurt labels contain false and deceptive claims about the products’ health and nutritional benefits.
“As part of its overall marketing strategy, Chobani has recognized the desire of many of its consumers to eat a healthier diet comprised of natural foods and foods that lack added sugar. Chobani recognizes that natural and health claims drive sales, and consequently, actively promotes the naturalness and health benefits of its products,” the class action lawsuit states.
What consumers don’t realize, however, is that despite label claims that Chobani Greek Yogurt contains “All Natural Ingredients,” “No artificial flavors,” and is sweetened with “evaporated cane juice,” the yogurt products actually contain artificial ingredients, flavorings, coloring, and chemical preservatives, according to the Chobani class action lawsuit.
For example, the Nutrition Facts for Chobani’s Greek Yogurt, Pomegranate flavor, state that it has 19 grams of sugar, but the ingredient section fails to list “sugar” or “dried cane syrup” as an ingredient, the class action lawsuit states. Instead, the label lists “Evaporated Cane Juice” as an ingredient, despite the fact that the FDA has specifically warned companies not to use this term because it is “false and misleading,” does not accurately describe the ingredients utilized, and because Evaporated Cane Juice is not a juice.
“If a manufacturer is going to make a claim on a food label, the label must meet certain legal requirements that help consumers make informed choices and ensure that they are not misled,” the Chobani Greek Yogurt class action lawsuit continues.
The Chobani class action lawsuit is brought on behalf of all California residents who, within the last four years, purchased Chobani’s Greek Yogurt products labeled with the ingredient “Evaporated Cane Juice” and/or labeled “All Natural Ingredients” or “Only Natural Ingredients,” but which actually contain artificial ingredients, flavorings, coloring, and/or chemical preservatives.
It is seeking damages, restitution, and more for alleged claims misleading and deceptive advertising; fraudulent, unlawful and unfair business acts and practices; and violation of the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, Beverly-Song Act and Magnuson-Moss Act.
A copy of the Chobani Greek Yogurt Deceptive Advertising Class Action Lawsuit can be read here.
The case is Katie Kane v. Chobani, Inc., Case No. 12-cv-02425, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, San Jose Division.
UPDATE 1: A federal judge dismissed the Chobani Greek Yogurt Class Action Lawsuit on September 19, 2013, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring evaporated cane juice claims.
UPDATE 2: Plaintiffs filed a third amended class action lawsuit against Chobani, but the case was struck down by Judge Koh on Feb. 20, 2014. The plaintiffs will not be allowed to refile.
UPDATE 3: On Mar. 16, 2016, after their Chobani class action lawsuit was dismissed, three plaintiffs took their claim to the Ninth Circuit to attempt to revive allegations that the yogurt-maker deceives consumers by mislabeling ingredients.
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14 thoughts onChobani Greek Yogurt Class Action Lawsuit
If the FDA truly cared about anything this wouldn’t even be on their list. Most regular yogurts make health claims but contain dyes and corn syrup. I read my labels very carefully and chobani contains ‘locust bean gum’ but no dyes or syrups. This is a ridiculous lawsuit.
William L.Wilson, M.D., did you just cite a disprove idea in your statement? You seriously are trying to use the “Twinkie Defense” ideas as your argument. You just proved you aren’t a doctor, and have no medical or factual knowledge at all.
It’s not misleading, you’re just stupid. What else could “evaporated cane juice” possibly be if not sugar. Hell, even if it were “evaporated orange juice” or “evaporated grape juice” it would still be primarily sugar.
Judy:
I agree that there is a pea brain in this conversation but I think we have a different opinion about who it is. I live in Greece part time and Chobani yogurt is clearly not Greek yogurt. Adding sugar to a true Greek yogurt would be a travesty because it already has a subtle sweet taste. In this country they add sugar and HFCS to all processed foods. Recent research suggests they do this because sugar and HFCS have addictive properties. They are also the driving force behind insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes. Over time these dietary elements can affect brain function triggering a type of food-induced brain dysfunction called CARB syndrome.
I don’t care how many factories they open or jobs they provide. The food they produce is damaging people’s health and well-being.
Chobani is the most overrated yogurt on the current market…It is NOT better for you than others & has the SAME sugar content like regular Dannon or Yoplait…The “natural ingredients” and “milk without hormones” is STANDARD in 99% of ALL milk products/yogurt in the US today…At least they should make it with “organic” milk which they do not!
I’ve lived in Istanbul & Athens 3 years for work & Chobani is definitely NOT real Greek or Turkish yogurt !
Is this serious? Where to start? If someone does not know that flavored yogurts contain sugar, they ought to be suing their parents for providing defective genetics and inadequate intellectual nurturing. If, further, they do not know that cane is sugar and/or do not have the wherewithal to google it, they ought to be arranging a guardianship.
Here is an innovative company, providing new jobs, successful enough that the big guys are copying them, and they have to waste money defending themselves again some pea brain!
You simply have to stay away from the flavored ones. If you’re gonna eat Chobani Greek yogurt, you have to eat the plain one like it’s meant to be, without the addtives. The plain one has a lot less sugar and additives. If you wanna make it a sweet or something, try adding actual strawberries or raspberries to it. I guarantee you it will taste better.
Either this is a poorly constructed lawsuit, or a scam concoted to steal your personal identity. Here’s why:
The lawsuit claims the pomegranate flavor contains 19 grams of sugar, but fails to list sugar as an ingredient… Whoever wrote this lawsuit needs an education in nutrition. Milk alone is loaded with sugar. Also, they claim there are unnatural ingredients, but 1) don’t actually cite any of the unnatural ingredients (they imply artificial coloring but don’t actually cite any example of the artificial coloring used) and 2) gloss over the important fact there really is no approved use of the the term “natural” or “all natural.” Even Ben and Jerry’s used to label many of their ice creams with high fructose corn syrup as all natural, until their consumers complained (now they do not label them that way). High fructose corn syrup is highly refined, but you could argue it is natural. Evaporated cane juice is also refined (not nearly as much as corn syrup), as is yogurt itself. Worse, products containing Splenda often label themselves “all natural” and Splenda is actually so refined it’s practically a synthetic chemical (Splenda’s advertising campaign imples it’s natural because “it’s made from sugar” – they have fooled A LOT of people).
The only leg this lawsuit has to stand on is the use of “evaporated cane juice” which, apparently, the FDA prohibits. With all the obvious errors in this lawsuit, who knows if even THAT’S the truth.
As far as yogurts go, Chobani is not the best, but so many yogurts out there contain gelatin – animal parts made either from pigs, cows, or horses. It’s disguisting. I’m glad Chobani does not add this filler.
Steph, the yogurt is still healthier for you than American yogurt because it still has 5 active cultures as opposed to 3. They misrepresented the ingredients they used as all natural while they still had a few unnatural ingredients. It’s still good greek yogurt. The funniest part is that they didnt need to lie to get me to buy it.
I buy this yogurt all the time because I thought i was healthy, now it’s not?