Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Has anyone else noticed that Fage Total now has half the fat?

I thought at first I could still find the 20g fat/serving stuff at Whole Foods and for some reason they had the 10g fat/serving stuff at a different store - they still have the 20g fat nutrition information on their website, even - but a quick check of the shelves last night at WF shows they, too, are carrying the 10g crap.

The taste and texture is really off - it reminds me of the time I accidentally bought the Fage 2%.

Are there any other brands that aren't succumbing to the silly low fat craze?

flag	asked Nov 2 2011 at 14:15 Casey 7,766●8●39

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this is an outrage – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Nov 2 2011 at 14:28

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It's becoming harder and harder to find full fat yogurt! Can't believe they skim the fat out of Greek yogurt--totally defeats the purpose of eating it! – Nemesis Nov 2 2011 at 14:39

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so mad, saw that at trader joes when i wanted to get some last week. i tried a few other places, and like you found they had been swapped out. fage fail. – jesuisjuba - paleorepublic.com Nov 2 2011 at 15:13

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I personally wouldn't want to eat non organic dairy anything... puss nodules anyone? – Amanda Nov 2 2011 at 16:14

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Last time I asked for full fat yogurt at a store the guy in all seriousness pointed to the sour creme..... – JayJay Nov 2 2011 at 18:30

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familygrokumentarian · Accepted Answer · 2011-11-02 15:39:53Z UTC

HA! I was just dealing with this issue this morning while hunting for a full fat greek yoghurt - I have snack duty this week for my daughter's preschool class and was asked to bring a container of ranch dip. I wanted to make Mark's Daily Apple's Creamy Ranch Dressing: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/creamy-ranch-dressing/

Anyway, Oikos and Fage were total losses - the highest percentage fat I could find was 2%. Then BOOM, over by the regular yoghurt I found the Cabot greek yoghurt - several flavors and fat contents, but there was PLAIN 10% fat yoghurt. Ingredients:

Pasteurized Milk, Cream, Whey Protein Concentrate, Milk Protein Concentrate, Live Active Yoghurt Cultures (L. Bulgaricus and S. Thermophilus), Vitamins A, C, D, E

This Cabot full fat Greek yoghurt also comes from farms whose farmers pledge not to use rBST, so that's a bonus.

Is it raw grass fed perfection? Nope, but I still have no idea where I'd find raw grass fed full fat Greek yoghurt yet anyway. For now in our location - considering the nearest Whole Foods or Trader Joe's are at least 45 minutes away - this works well for us!

Allan · Answer 2 · 2011-11-03 14:15:51Z UTC

Re: "Are there any other brands that aren't succumbing to the silly low fat craze?"

Yes! Check out the Greek Gods brand. Not only do they use full fat milk, but they even add cream to it so the final fat content is 9-10%. It's super thick and delicious. Just make sure you only buy the one in the green container -- they have lots of other flavors with reduced fat and added sugar (like every other yogurt producer out there).

http://www.greekgodsyogurt.com/html/yplain.php

Bread-Eating Beelzebub · Answer 3 · 2011-11-02 16:09:43Z UTC

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Tell them how you feel on their fb page https://www.facebook.com/FAGE?sk=wall

answered Nov 2 2011 at 16:09

Bread-Eating Beelzebub
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alternatively fageusa.com/our-greek-heritage/contact – Andy Nov 2 2011 at 16:44

jarblemagno · Answer 4 · 2011-11-02 18:22:27Z UTC

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Blow up their phone lines 1 (518) 762-5912

answered Nov 2 2011 at 18:22

jarblemagno
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thaneverbefore · Answer 5 · 2011-11-02 14:45:46Z UTC

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Yea, I noticed this about two weeks ago. I'm not sure how popular Fage is here so I didn't make a post. I did e-mail them and got this response (my bold):

At FAGE we are continuously researching improvements to our products and processes. Most recently we have improved the nutritional profile of our FAGE Total yogurt by adding Bifidus and L. Casei to our blend of cultures, reducing the fat content and increasing protein content. A significant decrease in calories per serving has also occurred as a result.

answered Nov 2 2011 at 14:45

thaneverbefore
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sucks for us folks who are athletic and NEED calories. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Nov 2 2011 at 14:47

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Wow this sucks. I am actually inspired to start a letter-writing campaign. Shall we bomb their Facebook page?? facebook.com/FAGE – Gazelle Nov 2 2011 at 15:13

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I've just asked about it on the FB page! Doesn't look like they allow wall posts, so I added a comment on their most recent post. – Jules K Nov 2 2011 at 15:39

Lots of comments on FB now! – January Nov 2 2011 at 17:59

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Could also tweet at them @Fageusa... – Gazelle Nov 2 2011 at 19:28

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Matt · Answer 6 · 2011-11-02 16:52:56Z UTC

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"FAT FREE AUTHENTIC GREEK YOGHURT"

alt text

I have found the 10% fat version in the big supermarkets here in the UK but usually only the fat free version is available. You are lucky to find a single yogurt that is not low-fat in a whole supermarket isle.

answered Nov 2 2011 at 16:52

Matt
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Maddening. Why would they even do this when they have 2 lowfat versions already available for those who prefer it. I wonder if this is driven by profit margins? Does it cost less to make it 10 vs 20 grams? – Joan Nov 2 2011 at 16:59

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I expect it is just trying to expand their market. "Now with lower fat" is a good selling point for most people. It is the "Authentic" part that annoys me. – Matt Nov 2 2011 at 17:06

I'd bet it's simply a cost reduction measure for them. They can sell that butterfat to someone else and sell you what amounts to a lower quality product. Since lower fat is always better, they would see this as a win-win. Find the Cabot or make your own. – Nicole Nov 2 2011 at 17:47

Kewpie · Answer 7 · 2011-11-02 17:52:25Z UTC

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If you have an Indian grocery in your area they seem to always have several varieties of full fat yogurt--it's probably not going to be organic, but YMMV on that depending on where you live.

answered Nov 2 2011 at 17:52

Kewpie
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Paul · Answer 8 · 2011-11-03 20:38:48Z UTC

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On the plus side, Fage can now be substituted for what it tastes like: http://www.wlcaulk.com/ ...

You can contact Fage here:

http://www.fageusa.com/our-greek-heritage/contact/

edited Nov 3 2011 at 20:38

Paul

answered Nov 2 2011 at 17:45

Daniel Kirsner
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Wcc Kamal Stabby fan · Answer 9 · 2011-11-03 22:49:58Z UTC

When I go to my local Wholefoods I browse at all the dairy products and it is mind boggling that 90% of the products on shelf are fat free or low fat. It's very sad you can't get good dairy products in a "health food store". It's bad enough that all the dairy has to be pasteurized and now they take away the fat also. It's a real shame.

Erica · Answer 10 · 2011-11-02 16:50:07Z UTC

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I emailed them about this a couple of weeks back, but they never replied. Figures.

The texture is practically identical to the 2% crap now, and the mouthfeel (hate that word, but...) isn't nearly as rich and creamy. How disappointing.

answered Nov 2 2011 at 16:50

Erica
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Yes, exactly! And I only know that because I once accidentally bought the 2%. – Casey Nov 2 2011 at 17:25

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Before I converted my mom to the total, she used to buy the 2% so I tasted it then. Didn't like it at all. So ridiculous that they have two products that are basically the same. – Erica Nov 2 2011 at 17:43

jstern · Answer 11 · 2011-11-02 19:42:21Z UTC

I've still been buying the full fat Fage around where I live (Westchester County NYS). A&P still carries it as do a couple of the gourmet/health food shops in the area. Have tried the Cabot full fat, but think Fage is much better tasting.

Lindenblossom · Answer 12 · 2011-11-03 17:20:42Z UTC

Glad to know I wasn't crazy, and that you guys relate! (That's why I love this site.)

Anyway, at the co-op the other day I picked up what I thought was the normal full-fat Fage "Total", hearing an unusual watery slosh from inside the container, then noticed the fat content had been reduced by half. Damn.

Yes, Fage isn't organic/grassfed/local, but in a pinch the old Fage Total was a satisfying/nourishing item that was not hard to find at many shops.

Back to making my own cultured dairy products out of cream, or trying out the grass-fed yogurt Cedar Summit Farm in Minnesota now offers locally. It's drinkable yogurt, though, so it won't be the same texture as the Greek stuff, but I bet it'll still be pretty darn good. :)

Uzito · Answer 13 · 2011-11-03 21:01:32Z UTC

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I could not figure out the reason Fage Total does not taste good any more. Now I see why. They've probably pulled that switcheroo few months ago, around the same time they switched the flimsy transparent top cover plastic to some hardened variety.

answered Nov 3 2011 at 21:01

Uzito
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I'm positive I just had a few containers in my fridge that were 20g fat/serving, purchased not so long ago that they ran against their expiration date. But all the containers on the shelf at the store where I bought those 20g fat/serving containers recently had ONLY the 10g fat/serving containers. – Casey Nov 4 2011 at 13:10

David I · Answer 14 · 2011-11-12 17:59:39Z UTC

It's easy to make your own yogurt--and you can tweak it by adding bits of different cultures until you get just what you like. In fact, you can culture yogurt from the contents of probiotic capsules if you care to. I've had as many as 5 different culture compositions running in parallel.

I strain the yogurt through cheesecloth for an hour or two to get a thick Greek-style consistency. This also dumps a lot of the remaining sugars, which remain in the whey.

(The whey can be used to speed fermentation of vegetables. It's a spooky chartreuse because of the riboflavin.)

If you're particulary addicted to Fage, then just use a tablespoon of Fage to start your own culture, and use full-fat milk. Or even milk + cream--as fatty as you wanna be!

HH · Answer 15 · 2012-05-19 18:45:33Z UTC

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My favorite is Voskos, a Greek strained yogurt, in original plain.

20g Total Fat, 12g Sat Fat, 9g Protein, 10g Sugar.

Super thick and creamy.

http://www.voskos.com/products.php

answered May 19 2012 at 18:45

HH
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Suzi · Answer 16 · 2012-05-19 19:36:44Z UTC

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Make your own yogurt! Its not that hard, takes very little equipment and best of all you can use local, grass fed, whole milk to your hearts content. 24 hour ferments are the best.

answered May 19 2012 at 19:36

Suzi
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justin · Answer 17 · 2012-12-01 16:48:48Z UTC

ive just heard from my local price chopper in MA that they're now not going to carry even the 2% fage total only the 0% gross tasting kind, they said it was because the manufacturer isnt offering it anymore, WTF FAGE! dammit i have to switch now.. i thought i found my one true love. : (

DavidHill76 · Answer 18 · 2013-01-18 18:18:23Z UTC

I agree but the protein content is so much higher in Fage. Even Greek Gods has total fat has 5g of added sugar.

I know the fat is good, but the much higher protein content per serving (23g - fage vs 8g - Greek Gods) seems like a good trade off?

Sorry, Im still kind of new to this so Id like to know why not!

Knarf · Answer 19 · 2013-01-18 18:48:36Z UTC

You could just by the 0% and add fat to it. In fact, I think it might be better. Then you KNOW that the added fat is a clean, wholesome source (grass-fed cream, melted butter...coconut...etc etc.)

Even though the FAGE website says it's organic and raw and no hormones..Who knows? Buying 0% and adding your own fat probably decreases some sort of toxin load, although I have no objective evidence or compositional analyses to back this up.

What’s the deal with Fage Total greek yogurt?

19 Answers