Frozen Yogurt Label Terms

Coconut declarations, plant-source names, and Greek-style yogurt terminology raise different labeling questions. FDA addressed these subjects through allergen guidance, draft naming recommendations, and a request for information about yogurt manufacturing.

Ingredients and the Contains Statement

On January 6, 2025, FDA published the revised fifth edition of its guidance, Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergens, Including the Food Allergen Labeling Requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. In the agency's explanation of the allergen guidance, coconut is no longer among the tree nuts considered major food allergens.

FDA says coconut would not appear in a "Contains" statement used to declare major food allergens. Coconut used as an ingredient in a food still has to appear in the ingredient list under 21 CFR 101.4, unless an exemption applies. The agency gives a specific example of an exception: a natural coconut flavor ingredient may be labeled simply as "natural flavor".

Plant Sources in Product Names

FDA released its draft guidance on naming plant-based alternatives on January 6, 2025. It offers recommendations for foods marketed and sold as alternatives to conventional animal products: eggs, seafood, poultry, meat, and dairy. Plant-based milk alternatives are excluded from the scope of this draft.

The agency describes the purpose as helping consumers understand the nature of plant-based foods, including differences between products. It recommends including the predominant plant source or sources in the product name. In that draft, FDA says all plant sources must be in the ingredient statement.

FDA illustrates its naming approach with "soy-based cheddar cheese" and "black bean mushroom veggie patties", identifying soybeans in the first example and black beans and mushrooms in the second. It also says soy-based alternatives should be distinguishable from almond-based alternatives.

Greek-Style Yogurt and Protein

On January 14, 2025, FDA issued a request for information on high-protein yogurt. For the purposes of that request, the agency used "high-protein yogurt" as a collective term for dairy products described as high-protein yogurt, Greek yogurt, or Greek-style yogurt.

FDA said the existing yogurt standard of identity, established in 21 CFR 131.200, might not align with certain manufacturing processes and ingredients used to concentrate protein. It also said there was no separate standard of identity for high-protein yogurt.

The agency sought information from interested parties about current manufacturing practices and ingredients used to make these yogurts. Its questions about names included company practices, trade convention, and consumer studies concerning terms such as Greek yogurt and Greek-style yogurt.