Yogurt Buyers Sue Chobani Over Misleading Label Claims

On May 16, a proposed class of yogurt buyers filed suit against Chobani LLC for its misleading label claims. The proposed class alleged that Chobani’s “Complete” branded Greek yogurts contain several misleading components on its labels, including inappropriate plus signs to signal that the product contains more probiotics and prebiotics, as well as claims that the food contains “complete nutrition” even though yogurt “does not have all the necessary and appropriate parts related to an average consumer’s nutritional needs.”

The complaint also alleged that the claim “only natural ingredients” is false, deceptive, and misleading because the product contains monk fruit extract, which is a high-intensity, non-nutritive sweetener. The proposed class argued that monk fruit extract is not natural because solvents and additives are used in the making of the monk fruit extract, and thus would not be understood to be “natural” by consumers.

The yogurt buyers brought claims under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, as well as for breach of warranty, fraud, and unjust enrichment. The buyers are seeking monetary damages and an injunction that would stop Chobani from marketing the product with the symbols and words in the future.