Food/Groceries

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Chobani Exaggerated Protein Content of it’s Complete Yogurt

When Chobani advertised that its “Complete” yogurt products contained up to 25 grams of protein, the makers of Dannon yogurt cried foul. Here is the commercial claim in question:

Chobani Complete claim

*MOUSE PRINT:Chobani Complete 3
It turns out that two of the three products shown in the ad did not have 25 grams of protein per serving. They only had 15 and that distinction was not made clear.

So Dannon filed a formal complaint with the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau. Before NAD could render a decision, Chobani announced that it would stop making the 25 grams of protein claim about its 5.3 ounces yogurt cups, and make clear that the claim only applied to their 10-ounce shake product.

“Up to” claims are inherently misleading because they highlight the best case scenario and ignore the worst case. That’s why Massachusetts advertising regulations, for example, require both the lowest number and the highest number in a range to be disclosed in equal size type, such as “save 10 to 50 percent” rather than “save up to 50 percent.”

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Bagelgate: Are Ray’s NY Bagels Really Boiled?

Ray's NY Bagel'sMrConsumer is a native New Yorker and knows there is nothing like a New York bagel. In part, real New York bagels are boiled before they are baked. And many bakers there claim it is the New York water that makes them special. Even the New York Times just last week said:

Water has long been part of New York’s bagel mythology. The city’s tap water is particularly low in magnesium and calcium, which makes it “soft,” in water speak. But bakers can adjust their dough for a boil in soft or hard water to achieve the desired effect.

The typical frozen bagels you get in the supermarket are round and have a hole in the middle, but other than that, they are generally a very poor imitation of a real bagel. One brand, however, for the past two decades has tried to distinguish itself as being the real McCoy — Ray’s New York Bagels — because they are kettle-boiled in New York water.

Ray's NY Bagels website
Ray's water    Website screenshots as of March 9, 2021    

Since they were on sale two weeks ago in the Boston area, MrConsumer decided to try Ray’s and stocked up buying four packages. I did notice that nothing on the package said they were boiled (unlike the package above shown on their website) but there was still a small mention about New York water on the back of the new bag.

Ray's NY Bagels currently

While each bagel is a good size and tasty, I frankly didn’t notice any texture difference compared to typical prepackaged fresh supermarket bagels such as Thomas’ or store brands. There was no shiny crust, and while dense, they were not extra chewy inside.

*MOUSE PRINT:

After not getting an answer to an email inquiry, I called Ray’s in New York to ask if they were still being boiled. The man who answered the phone said they were not. Ah ha, I knew it.

To get to the “crust” of the matter concerning bagelgate, I spoke to Jared Bell, now the third-generation owner of Bagels by Bell, LTD in Brooklyn. He is in a co-venture with Ray’s New York Bagels (of Massachusetts) to produce and distribute Ray’s. Jared confirmed that they no longer boil their bagels, but instead have developed a secret process that simulates boiling so well that most people can’t tell the difference (except you know who). He also said that the website was about to be updated.

So, while Ray’s may be the best frozen bagel on the market, its “kettle-boiled” claim to fame is now half-baked.

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Subway Tuna Tested by Independent Lab

Two weeks ago we told you that Subway was being sued by two California consumers whose lawyers claimed there was no tuna in the tuna sandwiches sold by the company. [See original story.] Subway denied the claims and even launched an advertising campaign saying it used 100% wild-caught tuna.

Now Inside Edition decided to have Subway’s tuna tested by an independent laboratory that specializes in analyzing fish, Applied Food Technologies.



*MOUSE PRINT:

The results of the tests on three samples showed that indeed they all contained real tuna fish.

Below is the 2021 carton containing the actual tuna pouches that Subway currently uses (at least at the Queens location where it was photographed). The description on it perfectly matches what was on the tuna package displayed by a Subway employee last summer before this became an issue.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Subway carton
Subway pouch

At the time the lawsuit was filed last month, the consumers’ lawyers refused to provide the specific ingredients that their own tests revealed that formed the basis of their case. We asked the lawyers last week to comment on Inside Edition‘s test results and whether they were still sticking by their own analysis. The lawyers did not respond… but you can add your comments below on these latest developments.