Danone sues Chobani over protein label dispute

USA – Danone has sued Chobani in a Manhattan federal court over claims that it misled consumers with deceptive labels on its high-protein yogurt products.

The complaint, filed on June 15, focuses on Chobani’s 20G Protein line. Danone says this product competes directly with its Oikos Pro yogurt. Danone also claims Chobani inflates its protein numbers by using unusual serving sizes for multi-serving tubs.

The complaint says Oikos Pro has 20 grams of protein in a 5.3-ounce serving, which Danone calls the industry standard. Danone says it is “difficult and costly” to reach this protein level, and claims Chobani simply increased its serving size without adding more yogurt to the container.

The lawsuit argues that if Chobani followed U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) serving-size rules for its multi-serving tubs, each serving would have less than 18 grams of protein, not the 20 grams advertised.

The complaint also says Chobani’s single-serving containers are 6.7 ounces, while Danone’s are 5.3 ounces, which means Chobani’s product has about 26% less protein per ounce.

Danone says this makes Chobani’s product more similar to Oikos Triple Zero, a cheaper Danone yogurt with 15 to 18 grams of protein per serving, instead of the higher-end Oikos Pro.

“If consumers knew the truth, instead of choosing the Chobani product, they would choose either Oikos Pro for a true ultra-high-protein option, or Oikos Triple Zero for a better price,” the complaint states.

Danone sues Chobani over cold brew branding dispute

In 2025, Danone filed a federal lawsuit against Chobani, accusing the dairy and beverage company of copying the tagline and packaging of one of its top-selling cold brew coffee products.

In the complaint filed in the USA District Court of New York, Danone alleges that Chobani engaged in knowing, calculated and systematic trademark infringement after it rebranded its La Colombe cold brew product with the same ‘Bright & Mellow’ slogan.

The suit goes on to claim that Chobani also redesigned its bottles to resemble the STōK packaging in a strikingly similar way.

Chobani acquired La Colombe for US$900 million in 2023, and according to the filing, changed the name of a La Colombe product from Bright & Flavourful to Bright & Mellow shortly after the acquisition. The new labels now promote the drink as a ‘light roast’ rather than a ‘medium roast,’ another point of contention for Danone.

Danone claims that these changes are likely to confuse customers when the products are displayed side by side and, as such, is seeking an injunction to stop Chobani from using the name or similar packaging to the STōK product.

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