Frigo Cheese Heads Light String Mozzarella: Nutrition & Labelgrade B- (70/100)
B- 70 / 100 — Exceptional protein density at 29.2g per 100g, effectively zero sugar, and high sodium per 100g.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Frigo Cheese Heads Light String Mozzarella delivers 7g of protein for 50 calories in a single individually-wrapped stick (USDA FDC 1867352) — a lower-fat take on the lunchbox classic. Because it’s made from part-skim milk instead of whole, each stick carries 2.5g of fat versus the ~6g in a standard full-fat string cheese, while holding onto the same ~7g of protein. It earns a B- (70/100): top-tier protein density and zero sugar, dragged down by the one thing cured cheese can’t escape — sodium.
Why the B-
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | A | 94 / 100 | 29.2g per 100g — rivals plain cooked meat, unusual for a snack |
| Ingredient quality | B | 77 / 100 | Five-ingredient list, no flagged additives — just milk, cultures, salt, enzymes, vitamin A |
| Saturated fat | C | 64 / 100 | 1.5g per stick — modest, and already lower than full-fat thanks to part-skim milk |
| Sodium | F | 23 / 100 | 833mg per 100g — high density; the one real ding |
| Sugar | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0g — none, as expected for plain cheese |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0g, unavoidable for any pure dairy protein |
Two of those F’s are structural and not really faults: no cheese has fiber, and salt is doing real preservation and flavor work in a cured product. The honest read is that the sodium grade is harsh per 100g but softer in practice — one stick is only 200mg (9% of a day’s limit) because the portion is small. The saturated-fat “C” is actually where the “light” formulation already helps: a full-fat stick would score worse here.
What the “Light” actually buys you
The whole reason to reach for this over a regular Frigo or Polly-O stick is the part-skim swap, and it’s worth seeing the numbers side by side. A standard full-fat string cheese runs about 80 calories and 6g of fat per stick. This one is 50 calories and 2.5g of fat — roughly 38% fewer calories and about 58% less fat — for the same 7g of protein. That shifts the macro balance hard in protein’s favor: here, 56% of calories come from protein and 45% from fat, where a full-fat stick is closer to a fat-dominant split. If you’re eating string cheese specifically for the protein (and not as a fat source), light is the more efficient pick.
The flip side, and it’s the only one: part-skim mozzarella melts and pulls a little less luxuriously than whole-milk cheese. As a cold snack peeled straight from the wrapper — which is how string cheese is actually eaten — you won’t notice. Melted on something, you might.
The portion control nobody mentions
The underrated feature here isn’t on the Nutrition Facts panel: it’s the individual wrapper. Cheese is one of the easiest foods to over-eat by feel — slicing off “a bit more” from a block has no natural stopping point. A wrapped 24g stick is a hard, pre-measured 7g-protein / 50-calorie unit. For lunchboxes, a desk drawer, or a gym bag, that built-in stop is doing as much work as the macros. It’s also why this lands as a snack, not a cooking cheese — you’re paying a small premium per ounce for the wrapper and the convenience.
The calcium most people forget
Each stick brings 200mg of calcium — about 15% of the daily value — riding along with the protein at no extra calorie cost. That’s the quiet bonus of getting protein from dairy rather than, say, a meat stick or jerky: you’re banking a meaningful share of your calcium at the same time. Two sticks cover roughly a third of a day’s calcium. It rarely makes the marketing, but for kids’ lunches and anyone short on dairy, it’s a genuine point in this product’s favor.
Ingredients
Light low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese, made from pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, and vitamin A palmitate. Five ingredients, nothing you can’t pronounce, no added sugar or fillers. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 1867352.)
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 PIECE
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 PIECE) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 49.9 |
| Protein | 7g |
| Total Fat | 2.5g |
| Saturated Fat | 1.5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 1g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 200mg |
| Cholesterol | 10.1mg |
| Calcium | 200mg |
| Iron | 0mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Frigo, Cheese Heads, Light String Mozzarella Cheese (13.2 oz/377 g) · UPC 041716874738. 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 a Frigo Cheese Heads Light string cheese stick?
7 grams per stick (one 24g piece) for just 50 calories — that's 29.2g of protein per 100g, or about 8.3g per ounce (USDA FDC 1867352). The full 13.2 oz bag holds roughly 15 sticks, so a little over 100g of protein per bag.
How is the 'Light' version different from regular full-fat string cheese?
It's made from part-skim milk instead of whole milk, so each stick has 2.5g of fat versus about 6g in a standard full-fat string cheese — and about 50 calories versus roughly 80. The protein stays the same (~7g). You're cutting fat and calories, not protein.
Is string cheese actually a good high-protein snack?
For a grab-and-go option, yes. At 7.1 calories per gram of protein it's leaner than most snack foods, and because it's pre-portioned in an individual wrapper there's a hard stop at one stick — no measuring, no overeating a block of cheese. The catch is sodium (see below).
How much calcium does it have?
200mg per stick — about 15% of the daily value. Two sticks cover roughly a third of your calcium for the day, which is a real bonus most people forget cheese delivers alongside the protein.
How much sodium is in it, and is that a problem?
200mg per stick, about 9% of the 2,300mg daily limit. That's fine for one snack, but per 100g it works out to 833mg — high — so if string cheese is a multiple-times-a-day habit the sodium adds up faster than the small portion suggests.
Is it keto and low-carb friendly?
Yes. 1g total carb, 0g sugar, 7g protein and 2.5g fat per stick fits keto and low-carb plans easily. Note that as a 'light' cheese it's lower-fat than keto dieters usually want from cheese, so it's better as a protein hit than a fat source.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-03, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 1867352. We re-verify top pages monthly and update within 7 days of a reformulation.