Daisy 2% Cottage Cheese: 15.6g Protein, Labelgrade B (77/100)
B 77 / 100 — Cleanest mass-market cottage cheese on the US shelf — 4-ingredient panel (cultured skim milk, cream, salt, vitamin A). No gums, no thickeners, no preservatives. Density-comparable to Greek yogurt (~13g per 100g protein). The structural sodium load is the main Labelgrade ceiling — typical for cottage cheese.
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Daisy 2% Low Fat Cottage Cheese delivers 15.6 g of protein for 108 calories in a 1/2 cup (120 g) serving (USDA FDC 2757648) — about 13 g per 100 g, with 110 mg of calcium and only 1.8 g of saturated fat. The reason to buy this particular tub is the ingredient line: cultured skim milk, cream, salt, and vitamin A palmitate. Four items, and not one of the gums, starches, or stabilizers that crowd most cottage-cheese labels. It earns a B (77/100), with the only real drag being sodium (432 mg per serving), which is structural to how cottage cheese is made.
Why the B
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | B- | 70 / 100 | 13 g per 100 g — the per-serving total (15.6 g per 1/2 cup) is the number that matters for a snack or meal |
| Ingredient quality | A- | 85 / 100 | Four ingredients, zero additives — the shortest panel in the US cottage-cheese aisle, and the whole reason to pick it |
| Saturated fat load | A | 91 / 100 | 1.8 g per serving — the 2% milkfat adds satiety without much saturated-fat cost |
| Sodium load | C | 63 / 100 | 432 mg per serving (~360 mg per 100 g) — the one real ding, and structural to the curd |
| Sugar load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 4.8 g, all naturally-occurring lactose; 0 g added sugar |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0 g — unavoidable for any dairy protein |
The A- on ingredient quality is doing the work that lifts this to a B, and the C on sodium is the single thing keeping it out of A-territory. That sodium isn’t a formulation shortcut — salt is what sets the curd and preserves the product — so the grade reflects a real trade-off, not a fixable flaw.
The four-ingredient panel is the whole point
Pick up almost any other cottage cheese and the back label runs long: carrageenan, guar gum, locust bean gum, modified food starch, mono- and diglycerides — texture and curd-stabilizing agents that keep the product looking uniform in the tub. Daisy 2% has none of them. The USDA Branded Foods entry lists exactly four things, and the only one that isn’t milk-derived is the vitamin A palmitate added back after the fat is reduced (standard for any lowfat dairy). There’s no preservative, no thickener, no sweetener, and no added sugar.
That short panel is what earns the A- on ingredient quality, and it’s the genuine differentiator — Daisy’s “just four simple ingredients” marketing is, for once, an accurate description of the label rather than a stretch. The curd texture comes from the cultured milk and cream blend itself, not from added gums. If you read ingredient lists, this is a cottage cheese that holds up to it.
The sodium is the honest catch
Cottage cheese is a salted-curd food, and Daisy doesn’t escape that. At 432 mg per 1/2 cup — about 19% of a day’s limit in one serving — this is not a low-sodium product, and the C on the sodium dimension is the clearest knock on the grade. The clean panel doesn’t buy a sodium pass: the salt is doing structural work in the curd.
For context, the closest clean-label rival, Good Culture Cottage Cheese Classic, runs slightly higher at 460 mg per 150 g serving — so Daisy is actually on the lower end of the premium cottage-cheese set, just not low in absolute terms. If sodium is the number you’re managing, the comparison that matters isn’t another cottage cheese but Greek yogurt: Fage Total 0% carries roughly 36 mg per 100 g against Daisy’s ~360 mg — a tenfold gap that no cottage cheese can close.
How it compares
| Product | Protein per serving | Per 100 g | Sodium per 100 g | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daisy 2% Cottage Cheese (this product) | 15.6 g (120 g) | 13 g | ~360 mg | 4 |
| Good Culture Cottage Cheese Classic | 19 g (150 g) | 12.7 g | ~307 mg | 5 |
| Fage Total 0% Greek Yogurt | 18 g (180 g) | 10 g | ~36 mg | 2 |
Inside the cottage-cheese category, the choice against Good Culture is a clean one: Good Culture gives you more protein per cup (19 g) plus a named live culture for the probiotic-and-organic crowd, while Daisy answers with the shorter panel, a touch less sodium, and usually a lower shelf price. Against Greek yogurt, cottage cheese trades away protein density and sodium in exchange for the savory, scoopable texture — the thing that makes it a ricotta stand-in for lasagna or a thickener for a smoothie that yogurt’s tang can’t replicate. Daisy’s 13 g per 100 g is the highest density in this three-way set, which is a quietly strong showing for a 2% product.
Best uses
A high-protein, no-cook staple with the cleanest label in its aisle — eat it straight, salt-and-pepper it, fold it into eggs, or use it as a ricotta swap where the 4-ingredient panel and savory curd earn their keep. The slow casein makes it the textbook pre-bed protein. The one shopper who should think twice is anyone on a strict low-sodium plan, for whom plain Greek yogurt is the better daily base.
Ingredients
Cultured skim milk, cream, salt, vitamin A palmitate. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2757648 — four items, with vitamin A added back after fat reduction, standard for lowfat dairy.)
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1/2 cup (120 g)
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1/2 cup (120 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 108 |
| Protein | 15.6g |
| Total Fat | 2.4g |
| Saturated Fat | 1.8g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 6g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 4.8g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 432mg |
| Cholesterol | 12mg |
| Calcium | 110mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Daisy 2% Low Fat Cottage Cheese (16 oz (453 g) tub) · UPC 00073420516208. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in Daisy 2% Cottage Cheese?
15.6 g per 1/2 cup (120 g) serving at 108 calories (USDA FDC 2757648) — about 13 g per 100 g. That edges Fage Total 0% Greek yogurt on a per-100g basis (10 g/100 g) and sits right with Good Culture Classic cottage cheese (12.7 g/100 g). A full 16 oz tub holds roughly 59 g of protein.
What's actually in it?
Four ingredients: cultured skim milk, cream, salt, and vitamin A palmitate. There is no locust bean gum, carrageenan, guar gum, modified food starch, maltodextrin, or artificial sweetener — the texture-and-curd stabilizers most cottage cheeses carry. It's the shortest additive-free panel on the US cottage-cheese shelf, and 'four simple ingredients' is the explicit center of Daisy's marketing.
Why is the sodium a C (432 mg)?
432 mg per 120 g serving is ~19% of the 2,300 mg daily limit. Salt drives the curd-forming and preservation in cottage cheese, so it can't be engineered out without changing the product — this is structural, not a recipe choice. For reference, Good Culture Classic runs slightly higher at 460 mg per 150 g serving. If you eat cottage cheese daily on a DASH or low-sodium plan, this is the one real caveat.
Daisy vs Good Culture Classic?
Both skip gums and stabilizers. Daisy 2%: 15.6 g protein and 432 mg sodium per serving from 4 ingredients. Good Culture Classic: 19 g protein and 460 mg sodium per 150 g from 5 ingredients (it adds whole milk and a named live culture, Lactobacillus paracasei). Good Culture wins on protein per cup and on probiotic/organic positioning; Daisy wins on the shorter panel and on sodium, and is typically the cheaper per ounce.
Daisy vs Greek yogurt?
Per 100 g, Daisy 2% has more protein than Fage Total 0% (13 g vs 10 g) but far more sodium (~360 mg vs ~36 mg). Greek yogurt is the cleaner pick on sodium and the better spoonable snack; cottage cheese wins on savory range and on cooking (ricotta swap in lasagna, a smoothie thickener). Overlapping uses, different best fits.
Is it good for muscle protein synthesis?
Yes — cottage cheese is roughly 80% casein, a slow-digesting protein that releases amino acids over several hours. That's the reason it became the classic pre-bed bodybuilder snack. The 15.6 g per serving clears the leucine threshold that triggers muscle protein synthesis in a single sitting.
Why is there cream on top, and is that a problem?
It's the milkfat fraction separating and rising. Daisy doesn't add the gums other brands use to lock texture in place, so a little separation is expected — a sign of the minimal panel, not spoilage. Stir before serving.
Is it keto?
Borderline. 6 g total carbs and 0 g fiber means 6 g net carbs per serving — just over the strict 5 g-per-snack line. The carbs are lactose (milk sugar), which raises blood glucose less sharply than added sugar, so most low-carb eaters keep cottage cheese in rotation despite the slight overage.