Whole Foods Sued over Greek Yogurt Sugar-Content Claims

And….here come the lawsuits. Following Consumer Reports testing that found that Whole Foods Market’s private-label 365 Every Day Value Plain Fat-Free Greek Yogurt contains five times more sugar than what’s claimed on the label, class-action lawsuits have been filed in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.

In July, Consumer Reports claimed that the 365 yogurt actually contains 11.4 g of sugar per serving-far higher than the 2 g of sugar per 170-g serving claimed on the Nutrition Facts panel. Consumer Reports also tested the label claims of other brands of plain yogurt, reporting that “While the Nutrition Facts labels on the other 12 plain yogurts we evaluated had a range of between 5 and 10 grams of sugar per 8-ounce serving, this 365 yogurt listed only 2 grams.”

Even though it is plain, plain yogurt still contains some amount of sugar-and usually more than 2 g, Consumer Reports stated: “To put this in context, bear in mind that all yogurt naturally contains the sugar lactose. That means that even plain yogurts and those made with non-nutritive sweeteners such as stevia and sucralose (not just flavored yogurts that contain added sugar) have some sugar.”

Yet, even given the higher-than-reported sugar content, Consumer Reports still points out that the 365 yogurt is a healthy food that is also rich in protein and calcium.

Also read: Greek Yogurt Powder Makes More Products Possible

Jennifer Grebow
Editor-in-Chief
Nutritional Outlook magazine jennifer.grebow@ubm.com

Photo courtesy of Whole Foods Market