Sargento String Cheese: 6 g Protein per Stick — Labelgrade C+ (66/100)
C+ 66 / 100 — Cleanest of the major US string cheese brands by USDA ingredient list — just pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, and enzymes (no vinegar, no added vitamin A palmitate). 25 g protein per 100 g matches Kraft. Sodium is the structural critique; per-stick (170 mg) it's similar to Kraft (180 mg) — both around the same place. Sodium per 100 g (708 mg) is high but not Babybel-level.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →Note on sodium: USDA’s Branded Foods entry for this product (FDC 1870277) does not include a sodium value. The 170 mg per stick figure above is estimated from manufacturer label data and is consistent with other mozzarella string cheese products. We’ll verify against a direct label reading on the next refresh.
The short answer
Sargento String Cheese Snacks deliver 6 g of protein for 70 calories in a single 24 g stick (USDA FDC 1870277) — a pre-portioned, peel-and-pull mozzarella snack with a four-word ingredient list: pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes. That’s about 25 g of protein per 100 g and 150 mg of calcium per stick. It earns a C+ (66/100): the protein density and short label score well, but two F’s — sodium and saturated fat — keep it in the middle of the pack. Both are structural to aged cheese, not a Sargento misstep.
Why the C+
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | A- | 88 / 100 | 25 g protein per 100 g — dense for a grab-and-go snack, and tied with Kraft |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 82 / 100 | Four ingredients, nothing else — no vinegar, no added vitamin A palmitate. The shortest string-cheese label we have on file |
| Sugar load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0 g — there is no added sugar in plain mozzarella |
| Sodium load | F | 30 / 100 | ~170 mg per stick (~708 mg per 100 g) — salt is a curing agent, so it comes with the territory |
| Saturated fat load | F | 39 / 100 | 3 g per stick (13 g per 100 g) — climbs into the daily budget fast |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0 g — no animal protein has fiber |
The two F’s are honest, but they’re the same two F’s every aged cheese earns: salt cures it, and dairy fat is saturated by nature. What the score rewards here is the label — Sargento makes this snack with four ingredients and stops, which is genuinely rare in the category.
The format is the product
The nutrition on a Sargento stick is unremarkable mozzarella. What you’re actually buying is the 24-gram pre-portioned wrapper. A block of mozzarella has the same macros, but a block invites you to cut “a piece” — and a cheese piece is rarely 24 grams. The individually sealed stick hard-codes the serving: 6 g protein, 70 calories, full stop. For anyone snacking against a target, that fixed portion is the entire value proposition, and it’s why string cheese lives in lunchboxes and gym bags rather than on a cheese board.
The peel-and-pull texture isn’t a gimmick, either. Stretching the warm curd lines up the casein protein into parallel fibers; when it cools, those fibers are what let you strip it into strands. The same casein that makes it peelable also digests slowly — so a stick reads as a small protein snack that holds longer than its 70 calories suggest.
Where the C+ actually comes from
If you want to move this grade, you’re fighting two numbers, and only one is in play.
- Saturated fat (3 g per stick). One stick is ~15% of the FDA’s 20 g daily saturated-fat budget; two sticks is ~30% — a meaningful bite for 12 g of protein. This is the lever Sargento’s Light String Cheese pulls: it trims the fat and calories while holding protein near 6 g, which is the cleaner pick if the saturated-fat F is what bothers you.
- Sodium (~170 mg per stick). This one barely moves between brands, because salt is part of how cheese is cured, not a seasoning choice. At ~708 mg per 100 g it reads “high,” but per stick it’s modest, and it sits right alongside Kraft (180 mg). For a once-a-day snack it’s a non-issue; as an all-day grazing habit it adds up.
Sargento vs Kraft vs Babybel
The three big portable cheeses are a near-tie on what matters most — protein per piece — so the decision comes down to the label and the fat.
| Product | Protein / stick | Sodium / stick | Calories / stick | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sargento String Cheese (this product) | 6 g | ~170 mg | 70 | 4 |
| Kraft Mozzarella String Cheese | 6 g | 180 mg | 60 | 5 |
| Babybel Mini Original | 5 g | 160 mg | 70 | 3 |
Sargento’s one genuine edge over Kraft is the ingredient list: four versus five, dropping the vinegar coagulant and the added vitamin A palmitate. That’s a real, if small, win — and the basis for the C+ rather than a straight C. Babybel’s list is shorter still (3), but it’s a semisoft Edam-style cheese, not mozzarella, and gives up a gram of protein per piece. If you want the simplest mozzarella string cheese on the shelf, this is it.
Ingredients
Pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 1870277 — four ingredients, no vinegar and no added vitamin A.)
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 stick (24 g)
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 stick (24 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 70 |
| Protein | 6g |
| Total Fat | 4.5g |
| Saturated Fat | 3g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 1g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 170mg |
| Cholesterol | 15mg |
| Calcium | 150mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Sargento String Cheese Snacks (Mozzarella) (5 oz (141.7 g)) · UPC 046100007013. 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 one Sargento String Cheese stick?
6 grams of protein per 24 g stick, for 70 calories (USDA FDC 1870277). That's about 25 g of protein per 100 g. The 5 oz package holds roughly 6 sticks, or ~36 g of protein total.
Why only a C+ if the protein density is an A-?
The protein and the four-ingredient label score well (A- and B+). The C+ is dragged down by two structural F's: sodium (~170 mg per stick) and saturated fat (3 g per stick, 13 g per 100 g). Both are inherent to aged cheese, not a Sargento formulation flaw — but Labelgrade scores the food as eaten, not the brand's intentions.
How does Sargento compare to Kraft String Cheese?
Near-identical on macros: both deliver 6 g protein per ~24 g stick at 25 g per 100 g. The real difference is the label — Sargento lists four ingredients (milk, culture, salt, enzymes) versus Kraft's five (Kraft adds vinegar as a coagulant and vitamin A palmitate for shelf life). Sodium per stick is a wash: Sargento 170 mg, Kraft 180 mg. Pick on ingredient simplicity and price.
How does it compare to Sargento's Light String Cheese?
The Light version trims the fat and calories while keeping the protein near 6 g — so per gram of protein it's a leaner choice. This standard stick carries 4.5 g fat (3 g saturated) and 70 calories. If the saturated-fat F is what bothers you, Light is the same snack with that critique softened.
Is the saturated fat a real concern?
One stick is 3 g of saturated fat — about 15% of the FDA's 20 g daily budget. Two sticks (a common snack) is 6 g, or roughly 30% of the day's budget in 12 g of protein. It's not disqualifying, but it climbs faster than people expect from a 70-calorie snack.
Is it real cheese, and why does it peel into strings?
Yes — it's real mozzarella from cow's milk, made by fermenting and stretching the curd. Heating and stretching aligns the casein protein into parallel fibers; when the cheese cools, those aligned fibers are what let you peel it into strands. The 'string' is structure, not an additive.
Is it keto-friendly, and does it have whey?
Keto: yes — 1 g carb, 0 g sugar, 4.5 g fat, 6 g protein per stick. Whey: only traces. Mozzarella drains most of the whey when the curd forms, so the protein here is predominantly casein, which digests slowly — part of why a stick keeps you satisfied between meals.