Chobani Yogurt

Chobani Yogurt has come under scrutiny from an activist group over its use of GMOs. Green America is criticizing the yogurt manufacturer for using dairy from GMO-fed cows while using terms like “real” and “natural” in its advertising. According to Green America’s GMO Inside campaign press release:

Greek yogurt, popular today for its high protein content, is likely made with milk from cows fed GMOs, unless otherwise specified. It’s impossible for consumers to know which meat and dairy products are derived from GMO-fed livestock, unless the product has gone through the Non-GMO Project’s certification for non-GMO feed, recently approved by the USDA as a credible label.  Even more than regular yogurt, Greek yogurt requires a large amount of GMO milk since it is strained more than regular yogurt. (It takes roughly four ounces of milk to make one ounce of Greek yogurt.)

Chobani responded:

GMO is complex and weighs on the balance of our commitments, particularly affordability, as non-GMO ingredients are fewer and more costly. We are in the infancy of exploring how we as a company, together with our suppliers, will navigate this important issue. We have never made claims that our products are GMO-free.

Remember: For now, “natural” is a meaningless labeling term. It does not guarantee that food will be GMO-free, or anything-else-free.