The Dark Side of Greek Yogurt

http://modernfarmer.com/2013/05/whey-too-much-greek-yogurts-dark-side/

I absolutely love Greek yogurt but have been hearing some rumors about the yogurt-making process being harmful to the environment. So I decided to do some research and found this article to be very thought-provoking. Apparently the waste product of Greek yogurt is an acidic whey which they are having a difficult time finding a use for, and it cannot just be released into the environment because it would be extremely detrimental to the biota. So as the popularity of Greek yogurt rises, tons and tons of acidic waste is produced and there is no way to dispose of it as of yet. Several companies are attempting to find a way to utilize it (from infant formula to animal feed), and mostly just trying to find a way to profit from it, but there is still just too much.

The way they say Greek yogurt is 'strained' also relates to this week's reading from Changing Works because it's not actually separated out using cheese cloth (the traditional way), but centrifugal force from a large machine is what does it. The industrial focus on mass production which thus creates these vast amounts of whey is something to think about as well. It's pretty interesting to think about how some of your favorite foods may be potentially harmful to your world ecologically and it's not something one really thinks about everyday. And it's also interesting to note that despite the poor potential effects, it's not like they will ever stop making Greek yogurt just to save the environment--the profitability is just too enticing.