Farmers Union Greek style yoghurt review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Farmers Union Greek style yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of this popular yoghurt.
For this review we have tested the full-fat version.
This yoghurt is available widely in Australian supermarkets.
You might also be interested in reading our popular article on the best probiotics in Australia if you want to add more healthy microbes to your diet.
Who owns Farmers Union yoghurt?
One thing you should know about this yoghurt is that you will not be supporting a union of farmers by buying it. It was started by a farmers union a long time ago but has since been sold on numerous times (including to Japanese and Chinese companies) and is now owned by Bega.
Ingredients of Farmers Union yoghurt
Farmers Union has only milk, cream, milk solids and live cultures.
So it is a very clean and natural product without thickeners or flavourings.
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Benefits of Farmers Union yoghurt
This yoghurt has a few health benefits (as well as some not so good traits). For context, we’ll compare a few key factors against Tamar Valley yoghurt - which is a similar yoghurt in this category.
Calcium
Farmers Union is very high in calcium and beats many other yoghurts in this category by this measure.
It has 162mg per 100g vs 148mg per 100g for Tamar Valley.
Protein
Farmers Union has a decent amount of protein at 4.2%, but Tamar Valley is higher at 5% (while Chobani is double at 8.6% protein).
Probiotics
Farmers Union has two strains of live cultures - Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus.
In contrast, Tamar Valley gives no information on the strains of bacteria present and Chobani contains five strains.
Like all these brands, Farmers Union gives no information on the amount of bacteria present (ie colony forming units).
Read more about the benefits of probiotic foods.
Other health measures
Farmers Union has quite a lot of fat at 9.4%, which is similar to Tamar Valley’s 9.6%.
Farmers Union has less sodium than Tamar Valley - it has 57mg per 100g vs 76mg per 100g. However, both of these sodium levels are still considered low.
Appearance
It appears thick and retains an irregular shape in the bowl, rather than sinking to an even level. This makes me think some nice creaminess is ahead!
Texture
And it does indeed have a thick and creamy mouthfeel - which, let’s be honest, only really comes with a high-fat yoghurt ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Flavour
It has a normal soured milk aroma as you would expect.
Regarding the taste, the sourness is fairly low. And much below the sourness of Tamar Valley. I would prefer a little more sourness to balance out the rich creaminess personally. And it does make me wonder about the amount of probiotics (ie live beneficial bacteria) this yoghurt contains given the low level of sourness.
Overall, the taste is quite good though. And it definitely does come across as a natural yoghurt with clean ingredients.
Cost of Farmers Union yoghurt
The normal retail price for a 1kg tub from Woolworths is $6.50 - which is cheaper than similar brands like Tamar Valley or Chobani.
Summary
4.25 stars out of 5.
A good value, clean and natural yoghurt. A good all rounder as long as you don’t mind the fat content.
Pros
good value
high in calcium
good taste (but I’d prefer more sourness)
Cons
high in fat
more information needed on the amount of probiotics
Factors we consider in our ratings
The factors we consider when doing a review (and the weightings of each of these) may vary depending on the product we are testing, but here are the key general factors we consider when we settle on a rating for a product.
Health benefits
We find out how the product will be good for your health and outline the benefits for you in simple language. This often involves doing research so you don’t have to. We often link to scientific studies or articles summarising scientific findings so you can dig deeper if you want to.
Things detrimental to health
We want to highlight where a product might include something bad for your health - even if it might be good for you in another way. This could include such things as pointing out certain additives it contains or high sugar levels.
How it’s made
This will vary depending on the product, but we want to see a quality process for making it and quality ingredients. For example, we want to see a kombucha traditionally fermented with lots of different microbial strains and we want to see a yoghurt made with fresh milk and not milk powders.
Price
While we expect quality products to be more expensive, they still have to be priced within reason. On the other side of things, a product which is priced very competitively will get a ratings boost based on the value it provides.
Flavour
For some products flavour won’t be a factor (eg probiotic tablets), but for others, like yoghurt or kimchi, flavour is a key aspect because these products are made to be enjoyed as well as being healthy! We will try to be as subjective as possible and describe the flavour in detail so you can get an idea of whether you would like it or not.
Our favourite gut health products in Australia
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
FixBIOME is a natural and very evidence-based supplement which is specifically designed to get your gut back into good shape. Perfect for those who need a gut reset
YourBiology SuperGreens+ is a superfood and greens supplement which makes it very easy to get a huge amount of nutrition - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fibre, polyphenols and more - in one glass. Great for supporting gut health, skin health, energy, mental clarity and immunity.
Read more about the best gut health products in Australia.
Your reviewer
This article was reviewed by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut-health enthusiast, science nerd and passionate kombucha maker of over 10 years!
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