Warning - General Mills bought Liberté yogurt, it's now Yoplait crap for premium price!

[HokieAnnie]

I live a frugal life, I don't have a tricked out kitchen, travel to Europe or even eat out at expensive restaurants. But I am fortunate enough to be able to afford small pleasures in life such as ponying up $1.19 versus 99 cents for a container of premium Liberté Yogurt to enjoy as my go-to lunch on workdays.

Didn't think too much of it (should have!) when the Liberté yogurt at my local Whole Paycheck had gone up to $1.29 and had new cheapo packaging. It was still 6 oz, it was Friday and I was tired after a long day at work.

So today I grab a strawberry of the batch I bought on Friday and to my horror when I ripped open the container at lunch, I saw right way it had been reformulated and was no longer a product of Quebec, Canada but Denver, CO. One mouthful and I had an awful taste of pectin and CHERRY. Yes to add insult to injury, there wasn't even strawberries in my strawberry yogurt. I couldn't even finish the container, it was nasty, nasty stuff.

A quick google confirmed my worst fears, General Mills bought out the Canadian manufacturer in the hopes of propping up their failing yoplait brand and is now manufacturing my beloved Liberté at their US yoplait plant.

Granted a company can do whatever the heck they want to but geez, did General Mills really think we're such morons as to be taken in by a venerable brand name now hiding cheapo yogurt? I cannot fathom why they felt this would be profitable move. Did they learn nothing from the New Coke Debacle?

Forgive me this rant, I know that there's far more serious issues in the world but we as consumers need to take a stand on crap maneuvers like this.

[aynrandgirl]

Liberte Mediterranee is the only full-fat fruity yogurt I can buy around here. The darn nonfat stuff rules the shelves.

What was the point of buying the brand only to reformulate it? If you want to make a greek yogurt that's different than what Liberte was making, buying Liberte seems a needlessly expensive way to do it.

[Vidute]

No need to market when you buy an already known brand... and most people don't pay all that much attention to reformulations or know that their brand has been bought by another company.

[VermontPenwoman]

It's hard not to pay attention to a reformulation when the taste is so drastically bastardized. And a lot of people must have noticed the brand was bought and the taste/formulation was fiddled with, because that was the start of this whole chain of messages. I live near the Quebec border, so if I find myself Jonesing for Liberté, I can take a trip north to where the formula remains the same. But it's a long way to go for yogurt. I've found other brands and have just bought a yogurt maker.

[coney with everything]

"What was the point of buying the brand only to reformulate it?"

A good question, it was asked of them many times on their Facebook page. The only answer was some vague reference to US regulations...like the US govt forces them to put cheaper ingredients in the product.

[SnackHappy]

General Mills didn't buy Liberté. They bought Yoplait and Liberté came with the package. Maybe they just have no idea what to do with the brand.

[VermontPenwoman]

"General Mills didn't buy Liberté. They bought Yoplait and Liberté came with the package. "

That may be true, but Yoplait had already changed the formulation after they bought the U.S. business from the Quebecois. I've never been sure why Yoplait changed it, unless it was to use cheaper ingredients.

[Candy]

That is really too bad.I sure hope they don't screw up the Lemon Liberte' . That has to be the best lemon yogurt ever. I like Chobani too. My Kroger has both and and right now they are 10 for $10.00.

[Pat262]

Noosa just brought out Lemon and Passionfruit flavors. Both are nicer than the old Liberte flavors, but pricier. Worth it, in my view.

[ylsf]

Wow, thanks for the heads up . I rarely read the General Topics but saw this one get pushed up to the top.. I was wondering why they started carrying this product in Costco and why I was seeing it on sale more and more. I never looked at the containers to note that it was made in the USA now, I usually get the Méditerranée one but definitely going to keep a closer eye out on labels next time...

[Nevy]

I believe you're a fellow Canadian as well. The Liberte we receive in Canada is still from QC... from last I researched, they're produced in Saint-Hyacinthe QC and we get the better Liberte vs the US Liberte.

I find the Mediterranee hasn't changed too much since they were bought but I do find the greek yogurt 0% and 2% more watery than before.

I would also highly recommend to review the label for the protein amount on the yogurt containers. I believe the Canadian protein amount in the greek yogurt is double the US version.

[ylsf]

Great, thanks.

[Pat262]

My NE Ohio supermarket stopped stocking Liberté Méditerranée last year. It was my favorite yogurt and I tried lots of other brands to find a comparable yoghurt. I succeeded: Noosa yoghurt is wonderful.

http://www.noosayoghurt.com/

[coney with everything]

I like the Noosa as well but hokey smokes, Bullwinkle, it is spendy. I can't find it for less than $2.50 a carton, and I used to wince at the old "expensive" Liberte at $1.59 a carton.

[Pat262]

Well, yes, it is a bit pricey, but you get 8oz instead of the usual 6oz, so it is 31c an oz. compared to 26c an oz. for Liberte.

[beachmouse]

If you're near a Target that sells refrigerated grocery items, I've seen Noosa significantly cheaper there per ounce than at the specialty stores they usually sell it at. Otherwise, I only buy it when The Fresh Market has $1 off or 2-for-1 sales on it.

[Jacquilynne]

Sadly, I'm finding that in Canada, the Liberte yogurt -- in particular the Méditerranée which I love, love, love -- is being pushed off the shelves in favor of ever increasing varieties of greek yogurt, which I generally do not care for. I can now buy about 10 different brands of Greek yogurt, each of them offering 2 or 3 flavors, at both my usual supermarkets, but they've stopped carrying Méditerranée at all. Sigh.

[HillJ]

Maybe that's why Méditerranée is showing up on shelves in New Jersey?????

[Nevy]

I'm not sure where you are in Canada but I find that Mediterranee is still fully stocked at my Superstore. The superstore near me literally has 30 ft of yogurt shelf space.

[chefhound]

Is it just me or does Greek yogurt taste meaty? Maybe that's not the right word but I can't get on board with the Greek yogurt thing either. It seems to be savory or something.

Every time I try some, I'm struck by how wrong it is. At least with fruit. It's great if you use it to make a dip or something savory but everytime I try strawberry, cherry or whatever, it is just horrible.

Liberté Méditerranée is the only yogurt worth eating.

[emily]

UGH! I'll add my voice to the chorus here. I had just "discovered" Liberte coconut yogurt last spring right before it disappeared and reappeared with the new formulation. So disappointing. It was such an excellent yogurt, more like dessert really. New formulation is thin and syrupy. We ended up throwing most of it away since no one wanted to eat it. Wish I'd had more time with the original.

[coney with everything]

It was so good, and the apple crumble was the queen of all yogurts. If you say anything on their Facebook page, you just get a bunch of condescending PR placation

But I notice they're in a lot more stores now with their corporate Yoplait sisters. Well, the almighty buck rules, I guess

[HillJ]

At the Shop Rite this morning I found Liberte in two newly designed plastic packages.

Has anyone compared their whole milk Méditerranée line vs. the fat free Greek?

[Nevy]

I find the US liberte not as good as the Canadian one since they've been bought.

The US fat free version is more watery and the tangy sour flavour is a bit off from the good stuff like Skotidatkis. The Canadian Liberte Mediterranean is miles better than the fat free version but its very creamy and rich. I don't like the coffee flavour (odd bitter note) but the lemon version is a nice alternative to whipping cream on desserts.

[HillJ]

Thanks Nevy. Exactly what I was looking for information-wise. Since the Liberte is a bit pricer, I wanted to ask before giving the Mediterranean a try. I was surprised to find it at the market.

[Beachnan]

Have you ever tried skotidakis? I tried it for the first time last week. It's a local Canadian made Greek yogurt from st Eugene (i think Quebec) the yogurts are sold at Costco and have the most amazing taste and come with seperately fruit topping. It's about $12.50 for 12, 150g containers. After my hubby and I bought a pack we went back to Costco this week and bought 3 more boxes. Btw, the yogurts are part goat and cows milk and tastes better than liberte (IMO). www.skotidakis.com

[ios94]

St Eugene is actually in Ontario but very close to the Quebec border and yes Skotidakis yogurt is excellent. Funny, I was never aware that Yoplait bought Liberte that probably answers my question to them awhile ago as to why they started adding milk powder to their Organic line yogurt. I stopped buying it after that change. That must have been about late 2010, early 2011.

[Emilimelo]

I'm feeling so sad about this! I've eaten Liberte with my luch at work every day for years and this new formulation is so disappointing - the syrupy fruit on the bottom is straight up inedible. Any recommendations for a similarly delicious single serving pack of whole fat yogurt?

[Pat262]

I switched to Noosa when Liberte disappeared. Very creamy. I don't know if it is whole fat but the label doesn't say low-fat or fat-free. Its pricey but you get 8oz instead of 6oz.

[Britalb]

I joined chowhound just to respond to this... thanks for this discussion. I've enjoyed Liberté for years. When the packaging began to change a few months ago, I noticed right away that the yogurt inside was thinner and less appealing. I started buying the old containers, and looked online. No one was complaining yet, so after my local sources ran out of the old packaging, I avoided the yogurt & figured I'd try it later.

This week my co-op has it on sale for $1, so I bought a few in different flavors to see what it was like. Still a thin liquid. Really disappointing. I'm glad to read all of you complaining - hopefully General Mills will listen.

The closest I've found to the old Liberté (actually, better) is "Greek God," made by a company out of Washington: http://3greekgods.com/. They don't have it at my local Whole Foods or Trader Joes, but they do have it at my co-op and at a New England grocery chain called Big Y.

I'm sure there must be reviews of it elsewhere on this site - it's the best yogurt I've had outside of Greece.

I hope this helps.

[chilihead]

Yep, this timeline just about matches when we stopped buying Liberte and started using another brand. Looks like our tastebuds were aware of news that the rest of us were not.

[VermontPenwoman]

I've bought Liberte for years, mainly for two reasons: It was made in Quebec from Vermont milk, and it had a fabulous taste and tartness. My source stores have been out of it for a while, because, they said, it was being "reformulated and rebranded." I'm a plain yogurt nut, but I had grown to love the Liberte fruit yogurts, especially coconut, lemon, and blackberry. I tried the new "reformulated and rebranded" yogurt (bought last week at, by the way, a greatly increased price -- up from $1.19 to $1.69), I nearly spit it out. Sure enough, it was now made in Colorado and tasted, as HokieAnnie so wonderfully put it, like pectin and some kind of fake fruitiness. Not a drop of tartness left. It's interesting to me that it didn't seem to change much through 2011, so I hadn't a hint that Yoplait had bought it. But General Mills has really ruined it. Fortunately, I have found a delicious plain yogurt from Seven Stars Farm in Pennsylvania that is really good. Does anyone have suggestions of other yogurts made without pectin or texture additives?

[litehouse51]

I too am disgusted with the New Liberte yogurt! I live in Florida and it is only available at Publix stores and I don't go there to often but I will make the special trip to get the Liberte. 2 days ago I purchased a couple containers...the coconut, lemon and I searched for the Apple Crumble which is my ALL time favorite...but they did not have it. I first noticed the new containers it came in but didn't think too much about it. Things like that always change. Couldn't hardly wait till breakfast...I never bothered to stir mine because the unflavored part, on the top and the side, was so tasty and creamy, kinda like a sour cream/cream cheese so I would just, little by little, make my way to the bottom to finally catch up with the amazing flavor! This one being the Coconut! On ONE taste I was sadly let down! The first thing I did was check to see if it was out dated...perhaps it was spoiled! Going down to the bottom into the fruit...I tasted it and knew...things weren't the same. It tasted like a Dannon or a Yoplait...which I don't eat, either one. The texture wasn't there and the flavour was bland, sour and tasteless. WHAT DID THEY DO? WHY COULDN'T THEY LEAVE IT ALONE? I always paid a little extra for Liberte and didn't mind the extra fat...it was too good to turn down! In fact I had told so many of my friends about it...I use to tell them that the Apple Crumble or Coconut (and lemon) was SO incredible that you could serve it to someone, in a fancy dessert glass with whip cream and maybe some sponge cake squares and they would NEVER know it was yogurt! Now...forget it! I did not finish the one I opened...said that it was from Colorado and with the new packaging it said it all! I am so heart-broken! Yes I know there is a lot of more important things going on and this may not seem important but I hope it becomes important when Liberte see's their error and their sales go down. In this case... Please contact them...I am ...and let them know how disappointed you are as well! Thanks...God Bless!

[coney with everything]

I just used their contact us page to let them know of my dismay

Pectin...yuck.

[Ruthie789]

In Quebec there is a new yogurt being promoted on TV, called iogo. It is being touted as a yogurt that does not contain gelatin, contains fresh fruit, and so based on this thread I look forward to comparing it to Liberte.

[Jacquilynne]

Is that what Iogo is? We've got billboards for it all over Toronto right now, but they don't tell you what the product is, they just have a picture and then the logo.

I had guessed it might be Yogurt, but then I wasn't sure.

[Ruthie789]

Yes it is a new yogurt that has been launched by Ultima, link below:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/08/...

[Jacquilynne]

I have to say, that packaging does not inspire confidence that the product will be good, but I suppose it'll be worth trying.

[Ruthie789]

I will try it, always curious about new products.

[HillJ]

Turnabout being fair play, I can't buy this yogurt on my side of the moon.
Pls report back, Ruthie.

[Ruthie789]

My husband bought the 0 percent yogurt of iogo. I am not fond of 0 percent so I will give it a try again. It was not as good as liberte but it was not a fair taste test.

[Ruthie789]

Here is a link on greek yogurts in Canada, including Liberte.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/h...

[goshua]

Let me add my voice to the chorus of disappointed Liberté yogurt fans who are now confronting the new formulation of the product in the US market. Before the change, Liberté had a unique product in the US market. In my part of the country (East Coast), no one was selling a high quality, whole milk yogurt with the texture, creaminess and consistency of the Canadian produced Liberté. The new formulation is basically, for all intents and purposes, a Yoplait dressed in Liberté packaging. It is a pity that in these days of mass produced, homogeneous food with little character, a superb product be demoted into a run-of-the-mill yogurt that is no longer distinguishable or superior from its competing products.

[spymom555]

Goshua, I'm in complete agreement with your statement. I made the discovery today, at breakfast time. First I got very scared because I thought something was wrong with my taste buds but the yogurt did not look the usual lush creamy...Then I examined the ingredients, got suspicious, also noticed Denver, CO on the container... found this discussion, learn about the sad fate of my FAVORITE yogurt and got even more disgusted... I called my local WF and was told that they also have been receiving NUMEROUS complaints from customers about the poor quality of Liberte yogurt. I'd like to remain optimistic and hope consumers voices will be heard....

[spymom555]

My local WF removed entire line of Liberte from its shelves in response to customers complaints. I called 1-800-453-0510 customer relations number and a very friendly rep acknowledged the problem, assured me concerns are been taken seriously and they are working hard to improve the quality. At least management at GM recognized they can not fool educated consumers.
.

[coney with everything]

They are doing the placate dance on their Facebook page as well. They say some small changes were "necessary" to make this yogurt in the US. I say, WTF...the US government forces them to use cornstarch and pectin??

I don't think so.

[HillJ]

Quaker Oats debut Muller yogurt. http://www.mullerquaker.com/Home.aspx
3 styles.

Has anyone tried it?

[Ruthie789]

Not available in Quebec. Many American items are not unfortunately.

[HillJ]

From what the other CH thread (linked above) is discussing about talapia gelatin added, I don't think we're necessarily missing anything.

[HillJ]

I found Muller yogurt all 3 styles on the dairy shelf at Stop & Shop today. Gelatin is definately included in the label of ingredients but I did not see the word : talapia.

[Vidute]

here's the link to muller's passion fruit yogurt's nutrition page.

http://mullerquaker.com/products/mull...

"contains milk, wheat, tilapia"

[HillJ]

I have since tried the Muller brand and decided that the gelatin fruit ruins it for me. The yogurt is actually quite nice.

[Rick112]

I used to buy dozens of Liberte yogurts each week for my family. The new made in America version is nothing special - no where near as good as the Canadian Liberte yogurts. We won't buy it anymore. Does anyone know of another brand similar to the old Canadian Liberte yogurt?

[grayelf]

If any of you happen to be in/near BC, you might enjoy the Krema line by Olympic, made in Delta. It is a thick, rich yogurt, "Greek style" per the label. It contains no gelatin or pectin, just milk, cream, skim milk powder, cane sugar, natural vanilla flavour and active bacteria culture according to the ingredients listed. The vanilla infusion flavour is my favourite for snacking on, which I do sparingly as it is 10% milk fat (!). Lovely mouthfeel and worth the calories.

[Hallfarmer]

I recently discovered the change to Liberte and was horrified. I have been a fan for several years since discovering the brand in British Columbia. I was gratified to find the brand show up in the U.S. a year later. Alas, I am done with it. Yoplait has turned the product into the identical crap it has been spewing out for years. How can a company be so naive? Liberte was successful because they turned out a good product, not because they have a cool name. Why does the American food industry ruin every thing it embraces?

[splatgirl]

"Why does the American food industry ruin every thing it embraces?"

Because the American way demands cheap food, and because the corporation must always grow to be successful. Besides, our palates are now so broken from the ongoing slide into junkification of everything that 99 percent of people won't notice. GM doesn't care about you yogurt one percenters :)

If you don't believe me, lets have a show of hands for who noticed when toilet paper got narrower a couple of years ago...

[thatwhileifound]

Just spoke to my rep over at Liberte and it sounds like the stuff we have in BC is still made in Quebec.

[Ruthie789]

So glad to hear since I am from Quebec, I have not noticed a change in the product or the packaging here.

[HokieAnnie]

Yes, it would appear this is a US issue only, they haven't messed with Canadian production and are only shipping the US stuff to US stores. Ironically I'm much closer to Quebec than Denver, I wonder why they aren't shipping the Quebec stuff here and the Denver stuff to western CA, not that I'd really want to foist it upon Canadians or anything.

[thatwhileifound]

Combine the actual costs involved with crossing the border in a physical sense with the fact that we have to have entirely separate packaging north of the border and it starts to make sense why I can still get the good stuff.

[cfoncha]

This yummy Liberte I just ate is made in Canada, but it does have some of the crappy ingredients you mentioned, nonetheless. This stuff is far from the goodness of homemade yogurt or even authentic Greek or Indian yogurt, but it's still better than the pudding, which I think is the thing that many Americans are trying to replace. It's still pretty good, as store-bought yogurts go. Not nearly as sweet and slippery as Yoplait, at least in my opinion.

[RC51Mike]

I eat yogurt from time to time and by no means an aficionado. Why is Yoplait crap? Also, I know I have to buy some and try it myself but what appears to be the big deal with Greek yogurt that seems all of the sudden to be on TV commercials every five seconds.

[JMF]

Yoplpait is more like a artificial, sweet, plasticy fruit pudding than real yogurt.

I miss the Dannon of decades ago when it was very tart and tangy, and had flavor and a firm texture.

Like Fage when it first came out, was made in Greece and from sheeps milk.

[RC51Mike]

So, more of an issue of added ingredients, mouth feel and consistency? I sensed it might be whether or not some of these are real yogurt or not. I know, I have labels to read...

[JMF]

Greek yogurt is drained of the liquid so it is much firmer/thicker. More like texture of fresh sour cream. Take some regular Dannon plain. Put a coffee filter in a funnel, put the funnel in a coffee mug, and pour in the yogurt and cover with plastic wrap. Put in the fridge overnight. So much better, richer.

[Ruthie789]

I wondered the same thing until I tried the low fat liberte greek fruit yogurts at an attempt at dieting and after that I tried the regular. I now prefer the greek yogurt. In any case Liberte does not only make greek yogurt, but ,luscious, higher fat yogurt than other brands. It is almost like eating cream. As well the flavours are great, lemon, mocha are so nice. As said I hope they do not change the formulas...

[ferret]

Their Facebook page has a long explanation about how they've changed their dairy sourcing since moving production to the US and that they're responding to complaints about the difference in the texture/flavor. Time will tell.

[HokieAnnie]

Ferret, it's more than sourcing though the milk and cultures do make a huge difference in how a yogurt tastes. They put in pectin, way too much sugar and less real fruit in the yogurt I had sampled.

I don't do facebook but the blog on General Mills' website had a PR person claiming over and over again that hadn't reformulated the yogurt when clearly their labels show they have and folks complaining on their blog having been told by customer service reps on their toll free lines that they had reformulated the yogurt.

Time will tell if they really really understand that lying to customers is NOT effective PR and marketing to roll out increased production. It's the 21st century, consumers have the internet, if you lie, we'll find out in short order and just get mad.

[lagatta]

I buy the Liberté goat's milk yoghourt and it seems just as good as it always was. And it is made here in Québec.

I don't eat flavoured yoghourt.

[VermontPenwoman]

Yoplait only bought the U.S. Liberte brand. That's why the taste hasn't changed in Canada. I used to love it because it was made in Canada with Vermont milk. Now it tastes like every other namby-pamby US yogurt. I haven't been able to find the Liberte goat's milk yogurt since the switch.

[SnackHappy]

That's not quite right. Yoplait bought all of Liberté Natural Foods operations both north and south of the border.

http://www.libertenaturalfoods.com/wp...

[VermontPenwoman]

Thanks, SnackHappy. I might have misunderstood the acquisition, because the product in Quebec still tastes pretty good. I do know that they're no longer selling the Quebec-made product here in the Northeast. More's the pity.

[SnackHappy]

Apart from a short period a few years ago when they stopped using real milk to make their yogourt, the product never really changed in the 20 some years I've been buying it.

It's a shame the US product is no longer up to par. Hopefully, they'll be smart enough to fix it before they hurt the brand.

[VermontPenwoman]

I'm just thankful Quebec is a mere 40 minutes away (and Montreal only an hour and a half): too far for weekly shopping, but close enough for a fun day trip.

[HokieAnnie]

JMF stated accurately how I feel about Yoplait, I hope I didn't insult you, I think all of us probably have some favorite food we know is crap but love anyway.

There are lots and lots of mass marketed Greek yogurt pretenders that are the triumph of marketing over quality --John Stamos is still quite good looking, but I buy my yogurt on taste.

Side by side taste tests of high quality yogurt and corn syrup gelatin crap will really demonstrate what we're talking about.

[Ruthie789]

HokieAnnie, have you tried the Danone keylime greek yogurt? I was buying this before John Stamos started doing their advertising, he has not influence on me. It`s a great flavour.

[coney with everything]

Crap...the store I normally buy Liberte at has been out of stock for a while....bought a couple at WF the other day and noticed the different packaging but have yet to try one

Attention, cost cutting MBAs at General Mills: People who buy this yogurt are willing to spend more for good product. Commodity yogurt is everywhere...stick to the niche. Be BMW, not Hyundai.

[Ruthie789]

Liberte yogurt has many options. I was not aware of the above. I buy the greek yogurt and love the lemon. I have not noticed a change to this product. As well if you like Liberte yogurt, Dannone's greek yogurt is very good as well.
I hope the Liberte company is not changing formulas, I started to purchase when they first came out and they have been innovators in the industry. Perhaps that might be the reason for the purchase.

[ferret]

It appears that Yoplait bought Liberte in December 2010 and General Mills bought Yoplait in May 2011, so technically, Liberte was a Yoplait product before it was a General Mills product.

[1sweetpea]

Funny, I thought the texture of my Liberte goat yogurt was different lately. This is most disappointing. I will be looking for something made in Canada to replace my Liberte goat yogurt, kefir and cow's yogurt.

[lagatta]

I hope not! I haven't noticed a change.