Chances are, if you buy Greek yogurt in an American grocery store, it will not be real Greek yogurt. I cannot speak for other countries, but in the United States, Greek Yogurt has no legal definition. That is, the FDA doesn’t have a specific standard of identity for yogurt made in the Greek way. It can be hard to tell at a glance which products are authentic. In this article, I will explain, in simple terms, the difference between traditional Greek yogurt and fake products and how to easily tell them apart.
Labelling Requirements
Keep in mind that by real Greek yogurt, I mean yogurt made in the traditional Greek way, not yogurt made in Greece. There is no official standard of identity for Greek yogurt in the U.S. Therefore, there are no labelling requirements for yogurts that are made to imitate Greek yogurt but not made in the authentic way. Whether traditional or fake, they can all be called “Greek Yogurt.”
The Traditional Process
The traditional way of making Greek Yogurt is to strain it multiple times until almost all of the whey has been removed. Whey is the liquid portion of the milk protein. This means that the yogurt will be almost entirely composed of casein protein, resulting in a much thicker and creamier texture and a higher protein amount for a given volume.
Fake Greek yogurt is not strained. Instead, thickeners are added to make its consistency more like an authentic product. As well, protein is added so that the resulting product has a protein amount similar to strained yogurt. This often takes the form of milk protein concentrate, but sometimes, whey protein is added. Yogurt made this way will not have the same consistency as strained Greek yogurt.
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Ingredients
Let’s compare two Greek yogurt ingredient listings from brands sold in the United States. They are both plain, unflavored and unsweetened, to make things easier.
Fage Plain Greek Yogurt Ingredients
Grade A Pasteurized Milk and Cream, Live Active Yogurt Cultures: L. Bulgaricus, S. Thermophilus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Casei.
Yoplait Plain Greek Yogurt Ingredients
Milk Non-Fat Grade A Pasteurized Cultured, Milk Protein Concentrate, Gelatin Kosher, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3.
The first listing has no thickeners. So, if we accept that it is “Greek yogurt,” it must be strained. And yes, Fage Greek Yogurt is strained to make it thicker. It’s also excellent.
The second listing contains two ingredients I’ve bolded. Milk protein concentrate is used to increase the protein content, and gelatin is used as a thickener. So the YoPlait product is probably not strained, and instead, added ingredients are used to simulate the protein amount and thickness of Greek yogurt. It also contains less fat than the Fage Greek Yogurt.
When fruit ingredients are in the yogurt, this can complicate matters as the component itself may contain thickeners. That is why I showed you plain, unflavored yogurt, to keep things simple. And as for the yogurt itself, if it contains anything like milk protein concentrates, whey protein concentrates to increase the protein amount, and thickeners like gelatin or modified cornstarch, it’s not real Greek Yogurt.
Fage is the Best Readily-Available Brand
Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean the “fake” products are terrible or bad for you. They may taste good, although not as tangy, and be a good source of protein and live cultures, etc. They are also cheaper since the straining process is a more expensive way to make it.
Among the leading brands of Greek yogurt sold in the United States, Fage and Chaboni are strained and contain no added thickeners. It would be easy to think that Chaboni is not strained because of the difference in consistency between one batch and another that seems to routinely occur with this brand. Chaboni can seem quite runny for an authentic strained yogurt made in the Greek style. Some of this has to do with the differences in fat content between their different lines. They sell, perhaps needlessly, low-fat, nonfat, and whole-milk yogurts. However, most of the variability will be in the production process and straining, indicating inconsistencies during production.
You’ll also notice that Fage carefully differentiates the yogurt ingredients and fruit ingredients in their ingredient listing. Chaboni does not, making it hard to know whether thickeners are added to some of its flavored yogurts. For consistent quality, I’d recommend Fage. It’s much thicker and more consistent than any Chaboni product I’ve ever tasted.
