Why is yogurt sold here in milk cartons? WTF? It’s not milk. Milk you can pour out and get all the milk out if you choose. Yogurt is thick or it should be – more about that in a minute – so it shouldn’t pour well and it doesn’t.
Some of the cartons have screw-on tops. That’s better than the standard milk carton approach – gable tops – that result in a mess every time you pour and attempt to close the gable fold. It’s a waste of yogurt. That said, where are the tubs? My wife suggested it’s because Danish companies want to avoid plastic containers. Tubs can be made out of the same coated paper the damn milk cartons are made from too. Milk cartons are made from liquid paperboard, which is made from cardboard and layers of plastic. The cardboard can be recycled. The layers of plastic no one talks about that in all the recycling literature I’ve read.
The truth is that most of the yogurt here is thin, barely thick enough to remind you that you’re eating yogurt and not drinking buttermilk. This situation could easily be the result of a self fulfilling conceit. We can’t make the yogurt too much thicker than milk; it won’t work in our cartons. Or we can’t make decent cartons so let’s make watery yogurt. Or I’m sorry tubs are only for skyr or Greek-style yogurt.
After all, why would you ever put yogurt into a container that actually makes sense for the consumer. If the person buying yogurt wastes half of it in the crappy packaging we can sell twice as much yogurt! And why wouldn’t we want to do that?
I think Danes should export this idea to the U.S. The U.S. has given the Danes lots of great ideas – pass laws to undermine unions – build walls (though here they build walls to keep out pigs) – demonize refugees — isn’t time that Denmark returned the favor? Are you listening Stonyfield, Dannon, and Yoplait? Of course that really means are Lactalis, Danone, and Sodiaal listening. Why is it French companies dominate the global market for yogurt? Godt spørgsmål! So it goes.
