The Time Fage And Chobani Were Sued For Not Actually Being Greek
Lawsuits against food and beverage companies are not uncommon. And in some cases, they can raise eyebrows for feeling a bit out of left field. According to Reader's Digest, some of the most notable (in other words, odd) lawsuits include when a plaintiff sued Starbucks for putting too much ice in its drinks and, in another situation, when a man sued McDonald's for advertising Happy Meals directly to his kids and thus putting "pressure" on him to constantly buy them.
One more lawsuit that caught people's attention involved Fage (pronounced fah-yeh) and Chobani — two of the biggest names in yogurt. In a taste test by Insider, Chobani's non-fat Greek yogurt was ranked the tastiest of the six major brands sold in the United States, and Fage landed at No. 5. But to two New York City residents, both Greek yogurt brands had problems bigger than their flavors — problems that even led to a lawsuit.
Why Fage and Chobani were once sued
Believe it or not, Greek yogurt is not always made in Greece. But that didn't stop both Fage and Chobani for coming under fire back in 2014 for the names of their yogurt brands. According to Consumerist, New York City saw two men sue the yogurt giants, claiming that the term "Greek yogurt" was deceiving yogurt consumers since the product is not actually made in Greece. The suit also suggested the yogurt brands were not honest about the yogurt being "healthy," though the Greek controversy was arguably the more entertaining of the two claims.
Consumerist also reported Chobani's public response to the claim. The yogurt brand released a statement that said, "Much like English muffins and French fries, our fans understand Greek yogurt to be a product description about how we authentically make our yogurt and not about where we make our yogurt in upstate New York and Idaho." According to a report at Truth in Advertising, the complaint was dismissed with prejudice in 2016. Reasons behind the dismissal weren't disclosed.
This isn't the first time Fage and Chobani have been involved in the same lawsuit; the two have actually been in somewhat of a Greek yogurt war for years. In 2014, New Greek Television reported that Fage sued Chobani in British court over the use of the term "Greek yogurt" — and subsequently won the case.