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Saying NO to
Fat-free Yogurt, Please!
Majid Ali, M.D.
I do not eat
nor recommend fat-free yogurt for a good reason:
fat-free yogurt removes healthy fats and leaves
behind unhealthy sugar. Whole milk yogurt is
insulin-friendly and so is good for losing weight
and preventing insulin toxicity and diabetes.
Fat-free yogurt is a much content of milk sugar and
causes sugar spike followed by insulin spike.
Yogurt
companies are not keen on sharing this information
with consumers. A notable case study is of Greek
yogurt heavily promoted by Whole Foods, which was
the subject of a class action suit. I reproduce some
text from a front-page article in New York Post of
August 30, 2014 on the subject entitled "
Bittersweet Suit Hits
Whole Foods"
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Bittersweet
Suit Hits Whole Foods
New York Post August 30, 2014
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The suits claim company officials were aware the
labels didn't accurately report the sugar content in
the subject Greek yogurt. It listed 2 grams per
serving. A Consumer Reports analysis revealed it had
11.4 grams on average. It's further charged that
even with the awareness of the difference, the
product was not removed from shelves and continued
to sell.
Sweet little lies: Class action alleges Whole
Foods not truthful
The suits claim company officials were aware the
labels didn't accurately report the sugar content in
the subject Greek yogurt. It listed 2 grams per
serving. A Consumer Reports analysis revealed it had
11.4 grams on average. It's further charged that
even with the awareness of the difference, the
product was not removed from shelves and continued
to sell.
On behalf of Raymond Chandler of The Law Office
of Raymond Chandler posted inConsumer Fraud on
Friday, August 15, 2014.
California consumers should be able to trust the
ingredient information provided to them by a label,
manufacturer or store. When a discrepancy is
alleged, it is usually a big business against whom
the claims are made. It may take a team approach,
but the average person can effect a change through
a class action lawsuit. False and misleading
advertising and other deceptive practices are not
acceptable, are illegal and deserving of a bright
spotlight.
Notable class actions recently reported are two
lawsuits filed against Whole Foods Market. It's
alleged the store brand of yogurt was being sold
containing six times the amount of sugar listed on
the label. Reports are both may represent up to
35,000 plaintiffs who purchased the product between
August of 2008 and today.
The suits claim company officials were aware the
labels didn't accurately report the sugar content in
the subject Greek yogurt. It listed 2 grams per
serving. A Consumer Reports analysis revealed it had
11.4 grams on average. It's further charged that
even with the awareness of the difference, the
product was not removed from shelves and continued
to sell.
Court documents show the company allegedly had
conscious intent to attract consumers to the product
by falsely stating the lower sugar content. The
company's focus is on healthy and organic products,
purportedly with store brand labels verified by an
in-house registered dietician. The suits claim the
inaccurate label gave the company an unfair
competitive advantage and justified higher prices
for the product.
A $100 per-plaintiff penalty is sought. A company
spokesperson wasn't able to comment on the
litigation, but reported they are investigating why
the test results were different.
From an individual's perspective, any loss
suffered is minimal. Formulating a committed
approach to seek justice and correct harm through a
combined effort is a sound means to protect consumer
rights. When a questionable situation comes up, an
experienced eye can review the facts and determine
how best to proceed.
Source: NBC4 New York, "Whole Foods Lied About
Sugar in Yogurt: Lawsuit"
Alison Burdo, Aug. 14, 2014
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