From Iceland — Hold My Skyr: American Consumers Start Legal Fight Over Yankee Yogurt

Hold My Skyr: American Consumers Start Legal Fight Over Yankee Yogurt

Published February 5, 2021

John Pearson
Photo by
Inga María Brynjarsdóttir

A storm in a skyr pot is brewing over the authenticity of an American version of Iceland’s traditional yogurt-esque foodstuff, RÚV reports.

Icelandic Provisions Incorporated is a company which manufactures a product described as “traditional Icelandic skyr” at its facility in New York state. Disgruntled skyr-gobblers in the United States have brought a class action complaint against the company, alleging that they have been misled regarding the provenance of the product.

The lawsuit claims that the product branding leads consumers to believe that the dairy delight is imported from Iceland, an idea reinforced by a picture of a cow and some snowy mountains on the packaging.

The plaintiffs allege that these indicators, among others, led them to believe the skyr originated in Iceland. This, in turn, led them to purchase the product when they would not otherwise have done so, or to pay more than they would have for it.

However, the product packaging states that the skyr is “proudly made in Batavia, NY, with domestic and imported ingredients,” albeit in small print on the back.

The case continues.

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