Food and beverage company Danone has filed a lawsuit against its competitor Chobani, accusing the company of copying its protein-oriented yogurt products and misleading customers about the volume of protein contained in them.
In a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court on Monday (June 15) and reviewed by Complex, Danone has accused Chobani of engaging in “deceptive naming, labeling, and advertising campaign[s].” As outlined in the court documents, Danone argued that 20 grams of protein per serving is “a crucial threshold driving consumer purchase interest,” and the company has adhered to that with its Oikos Pro line of yogurt products. The company alleged that Chobani saw the success Danone had with Oikos Pro and sought to copy it, but misled customers in the process.
In 2024, Chobani launched its 20G Protein line of yogurt products, and the claim that they contain 20 grams of protein is featured prominently on the packaging and in advertising. However, Danone claims that Chobani’s competing products are “significantly less protein-dense than Okios Pro,” containing roughly 26 percent less protein ounce for ounce.
To reach the threshold of 20 grams of protein per serving, the single-serving versions of Chobani’s product is sold in 6.7-ounce containers, versus the 5.3-ounce containers that Danone’s products are available in. Danone’s legal team argues that Chobani’s multiple-serving tubs of 20G Protein yogurt products violate U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines by misrepresenting the amount of protein contained in multiple-serving tubs because they contain 18 grams of protein per container, not the 20 grams advertised. Per the complaint, they do this by labeling a “serving” as 6.7 oz., even though each container has 5.3 oz. of yogurt.
“Chobani’s deceptive naming, labeling, and advertising has caused—and, unless curtailed, will continue to cause—substantial harm to Danone US and to unwitting consumers,” the lawsuit argues. “If the Chobani Product were truthfully named, labeled, and marketed, consumers would not see it as a viable alternative to Oikos Pro in the ultra-high-protein yogurt category.”
Danone took separate legal action against Chobani last year over the branding of its cold brew coffee products. In the complaint, per FoodBev Media, Chobani was accused of engaging in “knowing, calculated and systematic” trademark infringement by using the phrase ‘Bright & mellow’ on its packaging, despite Danone owning the trademark for the phrase.
