Chobani ordered to stop campaign that slams Dannon and Yoplait

Chobani exposed the yogurt world to that ugly side with a recent ad campaign, and it fueled a dispute that ended in a courtroom.

A federal judge ruled late last week that Chobani would have to stop running ads and making claims on social media that its competitors’ ingredients were harmful. The ruling came after General Mills and Dannon took issue with Chobani’s “Simply 100” campaign.

CNN Money explained the content in its commercials:

In one Chobani commercial, a woman throws away a cup of Yoplait after discovering it contains potassium sorbate. “That stuff is used to kill bugs,” a voiceover says.

Another Chobani commercial features a woman who picks up Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt while a voiceover says the product contains sucralose: “That stuff has chlorine added to it!”

The Food and Drug Administration has listed those ingredients as safe for human consumption.

Chobani sued Dannon in U.S. District Court in Albany for trying to thwart its campaign. The federal judge ruled that Chobani has to remove the ads from the Internet and cease making similar claims on social media.