Hearthstone Consumer Values
Claims MonitorNo. 3 · Q3 2026
Claims Monitor · Yogurt and dairy alternatives, CanadaData to 30 September 2026
Affordability claims overtake sustainability on the yogurt shelf
We recorded 63 claim changes across the 42 products we follow in the third quarter. For the first time, more of them targeted affordability than sustainability
1Where claims changed
Manufacturers and grocers changed 63 public claims on the 42 yogurt and dairy alternative products we follow between July and September. Affordability drew 19 of the changes, almost all of them additions, while sustainability drew 16, nearly half of them removals.1
| Value | Added | Removed | Reworded | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability | 14 | 1 | 4 | 19 |
| Sustainability | 5 | 7 | 4 | 16 |
| Local sourcing | 9 | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| Health and nutrition | 6 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| Convenience | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| All values | 37 | 11 | 15 | 63 |
Source: manufacturer product pages, national and regional grocer listings, Ad Standards complaint decisions, Hearthstone Consumer Values coding
Source: manufacturer product pages, national and regional grocer listings, Ad Standards complaint decisions, Hearthstone Consumer Values coding
2Live claims by value
Live affordability claims have more than doubled in two years, from 18 to 48. Sustainability claims peaked at 55 in early 2025 and have fallen for five quarters, a decline that began after the 2024 amendments to the Competition Act raised the evidence required for environmental claims.2
Source: manufacturer product pages, national and regional grocer listings, Ad Standards complaint decisions, Hearthstone Consumer Values coding
3Notable changes this quarter
| Product | Change | Claim | Value | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National brand Greek yogurt | Added | Price held since 2024 | Affordability | 14 Jul |
| Quebec cooperative yogurt | Added | Milk from Quebec farms | Local sourcing | 2 Aug |
| Plant based oat yogurt | Removed | Carbon neutral | Sustainability | 19 Aug |
| Store brand family tub | Added | Bigger tub, same price | Affordability | 5 Sep |
| Drinkable probiotic yogurt | Reworded | Recyclable where facilities exist | Sustainability | 22 Sep |
Source: manufacturer product pages and grocer listings, captured on the dates shown
The removal of a carbon neutral claim from a national oat yogurt was the quarter's largest single retreat; the brand now makes no environmental claim on its page. In Quebec, six of the nine new local sourcing claims name the province's farms directly, and four of those appeared within a month of each other.
4Against the Values Compass
5What to watch in the fourth quarter
Holiday pack changes from the two largest dairy brands, any Ad Standards decision on the price held claims that drew complaints in September, and whether local sourcing claims spread from Quebec into Ontario listings before the spring Compass fieldwork begins.
How this monitor is built
- A claim is any statement about the product on its pack image, maker page or grocer listing, captured with its date
- Each claim is coded by a Hearthstone researcher to the Values Compass value it targets, and reworded claims keep their prior text
- The product list covers the 42 best selling yogurt and dairy alternative products in Canada and is refreshed each spring
Approved for subscribersMathieu LaroseDirector of Values Research · 8 October 2026
1 A claim change is an addition, removal or rewording of a public claim on a tracked product. A claim repeated across pack, maker page and grocer listing counts once.
2 Live claims are those visible on at least one tracked source on the last day of the quarter.