Fifteen tanker trucks full of acid whey, the yellowish liquid by-product of Greek yogurt production, left Yoplait’s plant in Murfreesboro, Tenn., every day in 2014. The trucks headed to nearby farms, where farmers would spread the whey onto their fields as fertilizer. Similar activity on an even larger scale was taking place in New York, where some of the biggest Greek yogurt makers—Chobani, Dannon, and FAGE—have production facilities.
Approximately 771,000 metric tons of Greek yogurt was produced in the U.S. in 2015, representing nearly 40% of the U.S. yogurt market, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture and market research data. In 2004, Greek yogurt made up only 1–2% of the U.S. yogurt market.
As the demand for Greek yogurt skyrocketed, so did the amount of acid whey that manufacturers needed to dispose of. For every kilogram of Greek yogurt produced, 2–3 kg of acid whey are left behind.
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