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Why This Chobani Let Snack Girl Down

April 3, 2014   79 Comments

Snack Girl likes to have a midmorning snack to keep the writing going. It is amazing how a little tummy rumble can distract.

Chobani Simply 100

Since I write about snacks, I have a bunch to take to work and one of my favorites is Greek yogurt. I typically buy FAGE when I see it on sale but I also like Chobani. I was running late for picking my children up from school when I bought this Chobani.

What is SO infuriating is that I make a living talking about reading labels, and I still get tricked into buying something that I didn’t want.

Here is what I read on the side of the label before tossing this into my cart:

No artificial sweeteners. is the line that I read and that meant to me that I would like this yogurt. I don’t have a problem with artificial sweeteners except for the taste. For those who are diabetic or need to cut way down on sugar, I realize these are a great option – but I avoid them.

I opened up my Chobani Simply 100 and took a bite. Yuck! What is going on? It has that fake artificial sweetener flavor. There can’t be sucralose in this?! A quick review of the ingredients led me to “Stevia Leaf Extract”. AHA!

Stevia leaf is not considered an “artificial” sweetener because it is derived from a leaf instead of a chemical reaction. But, it isn’t sugar or honey or maple syrup. I suppose you might call it a sweet flavoring agent with no calories. The problem, for me, is that it TASTES like an artificial sweetener.

Also, there is an argument to be made that stevia is also a chemical compound that is highly processed. At what point does the sweetener extracted from a plant via a chemical process become an “artificial flavor”? Sometimes these definitions seem arbitrary to me.

I wrote about the manufacturing of stevia here: Is Stevia/Truvia/PureVia A Safe Sweetener? I stick by my assertion that stevia is to be consumed in moderation.

Chobani is allowed to call “stevia leaf extract” a natural sweetener and I am now stuck standing in the yogurt aisle reading the ingredients list every time I buy something. I bought THREE of these and I am going to have to find someone who likes them.

What do you think of stevia in yogurt?


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