Danone sued Chobani over allegedly misleading protein content claims in yogurts
The parent company of the American yogurt brand Dannon, the French company Danone, filed a lawsuit against competitor Chobani, accusing it of misleading consumers about claims of high protein content in its products. Reuters reports on this here.
In a complaint filed in the Manhattan federal court, Danone stated that Chobani inflates protein figures on the labels of multi-serving packages of the Chobani 20G Protein line, which, according to the plaintiff, is positioned as a direct competitor to Danone's Oikos Pro product in the high-protein yogurt segment.
Danone claims that this practice is misleading, considering the general trend where medical professionals and U.S. government agencies recommend consuming products with increased protein content to support health. The company also stated that Chobani, in their opinion, deliberately uses this in marketing.
Representatives of Chobani and lawyers who previously defended the company against other Danone lawsuits regarding advertising did not respond to requests for comment.
According to the lawsuit, Oikos Pro contains 20 grams of protein per 5.3-ounce serving, which corresponds to typical industry standards. Danone notes that producing yogurts with such protein concentration is complex and costly, whereas Chobani, according to its claims, increased the serving size without proportionally increasing the actual protein content.
The case materials state that if U.S. Food and Drug Administration serving size rules were followed, the actual protein content in Chobani products could be less than 18 grams.
Danone also claims that this strategy makes Chobani 20G Protein more similar to the Oikos Triple Zero line, which is cheaper and contains 15–18 grams of protein per serving.
The lawsuit notes that if consumers were informed about the real protein content, they could choose either Oikos Pro as a high-protein product or Oikos Triple Zero as a more affordable alternative.
Danone demands unspecified damages and changes to product labeling.
This is at least the fourth legal dispute between Danone and Chobani since 2016 — the two largest Greek yogurt producers in the U.S. market.
It is also reported that Chobani has filed a motion in the Manhattan federal court to dismiss a separate Danone lawsuit accusing the company of copying the packaging and the "Bright & Mellow" slogan for its cold coffee line.
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