Friendship Dairies 1% No Salt Added Cottage Cheese: Nutrition & Labelgrade B+ (82/100)
B+ 82 / 100 — 15g protein per half-cup at just 90 calories and — the standout — only 55mg of sodium, a fraction of what normal cottage cheese carries. The No Salt Added formula is the whole point: it turns cottage cheese, usually a high-sodium food, into one of the lowest-sodium high-protein dairy options you can buy. Locust bean gum and carrageenan keep it just short of a top ingredient grade.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Friendship Dairies 1% No Salt Added Cottage Cheese delivers 15 g of protein for 90 calories per ½ cup (113 g) — roughly 13.3 g of protein per 100 g (USDA FDC 2015065). Those are ordinary, solid cottage-cheese numbers. The line that makes this tub worth a page of its own is the one near the bottom of the panel: 55 mg of sodium. Across the cottage cheeses we’ve put through the grader, sodium runs 370–520 mg per serving; this “No Salt Added” formula cuts roughly 85% of that while keeping every gram of protein and almost all the fat out (under 1 g total). It earns a B+ (82/100) — the only thing between it and a higher ingredient grade is the locust bean gum and carrageenan used as stabilizers.
Why the B+
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | B- | 70 / 100 | 13.3 g per 100 g — moderate by weight, because cottage cheese is mostly water. The per-serving math is the real story: 15 g per half-cup, 30 g per cup, for only 90–180 calories |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 82 / 100 | Three forms of milk up top, then locust bean gum and carrageenan as stabilizers, CO2 for freshness, vitamin A, and enzymes. Mostly dairy — the two gums are what hold it below an A |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 55 mg per half-cup. This is the headline: a perfect score, on the one dimension cottage cheese almost always loses |
| Saturated fat | A+ | 96 / 100 | ~1 g per half-cup — near the floor, exactly what a 1% milkfat product should read |
| Sugar | A+ | 100 / 100 | 4 g, all naturally-occurring lactose — no added sweetener |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0 g — structural; no dairy product has fiber and the formula doesn’t pretend otherwise |
The honest read: this is a B+ that would be an A- if it dropped the carrageenan, and a B if it carried normal cottage-cheese salt. The gums cost it the ingredient line; the missing salt is precisely what earns it back. Protein density lands at B- only because cottage cheese is watery by nature — by the serving, the protein-per-calorie is excellent.
The whole reason this tub exists: sodium
Cottage cheese has a quiet problem for anyone watching their salt: it is one of the saltiest “healthy” foods in the dairy case. Salt is added both for flavor and as a mild preservative, and it adds up fast. Here is how this product sits against the cottage cheeses we’ve measured directly:
| Product | Protein | Serving | Calories | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendship 1% No Salt Added (this tub) | 15 g | ½ cup (113 g) | 90 | 55 mg |
| Breakstone’s Lowfat 2% | 10 g | ½ cup (113 g) | 80 | 370 mg |
| Good Culture Classic | 19 g | 150 g | 110 | 460 mg |
| Muuna Lowfat Plain | 19 g | 150 g | 120 | 520 mg |
Read down the sodium column: 55, then 370, 460, 520. This tub carries roughly one-seventh to one-tenth the sodium of the others, for the same kind of protein. That is the entire pitch, and it’s a real one — there is no asterisk on it.
The trade-off you’re actually making
The cost of going No Salt Added is protein-per-serving, not protein quality. Muuna and Good Culture pack 19 g into a 150 g cup; this delivers 15 g in a 113 g half-cup — closer than it looks once you adjust for serving size, but they do edge it out gram-for-gram, and they do it with shorter, gum-free ingredient lists (milk, cream, salt, cultures). What they can’t do is touch the sodium. So the decision is clean:
- Sodium matters to you (blood pressure, a cutting phase, plain preference) → this is the pick. Nothing mainstream in the cottage-cheese aisle gets near 55 mg.
- Sodium is a non-issue → Muuna or Good Culture give you more protein and a cleaner label, and the 460–520 mg of salt doesn’t count against you.
One practical note: because the salt is gone, this tub tastes flatter straight from the spoon than a salted one. That barely matters if you eat it the way most high-protein shoppers do — fruit and a drizzle of honey, or folded into eggs, oats, or a savory bowl where you control the seasoning yourself.
How lean is “1%”?
The “1%” labels the milkfat, and it’s worth being precise about what that buys you: under 1 g of total fat and under 1 g of saturated fat per half-cup. That’s why the 90 calories are almost entirely protein with very little fat riding along — the leanest cottage cheese short of a fully nonfat tub. The flip side is the standard one for low-fat dairy: a touch less richness on the tongue, which the stabilizers (locust bean gum, carrageenan) are partly there to compensate for, keeping the body smooth instead of thin and watery.
Ingredients
Cultured nonfat milk, nonfat milk, milk, locust bean gum, carrageenan, carbon dioxide (to preserve freshness), vitamin A palmitate, enzymes. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2015065.)
Three forms of milk do the work; the locust bean gum and carrageenan are stabilizers that hold the curds and cream together; the CO2 is an inert freshness-preserver, not a flavoring; vitamin A palmitate replaces the vitamin A lost when the fat is removed. The carrageenan is the single line a label-reader might object to — and the only reason the ingredient grade stops at B+.
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 0.5 cup (113 g)
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (0.5 cup (113 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 90.4 |
| Protein | 15g |
| Total Fat | 0.994g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.994g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 5g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Total Sugars | 4g |
| Sodium | 55.4mg |
| Cholesterol | 10.2mg |
| Calcium | 99.4mg |
| Iron | 0mg |
| Potassium | 160mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Friendship Dairies 1% Milkfat Small Curd No Salt Added Cottage Cheese (16 oz (454 g) tub) · UPC 071481025004. 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 Friendship Dairies 1% No Salt Added cottage cheese?
15 g per ½ cup (113 g), for 90 calories (USDA FDC 2015065) — about 13.3 g per 100 g. A full cup gives you 30 g of protein for 180 calories, which is why cottage cheese is a staple for hitting a protein target without much else coming along for the ride.
Why does this have so little sodium when cottage cheese is usually salty?
Because it's the No Salt Added formula (UPC 071481025004). Salt is normally added to cottage cheese both for taste and as a mild preservative, which is why the cottage cheeses we've measured land at 370–520 mg per serving. Friendship leaves it out and comes in at 55 mg — you keep all 15 g of protein and drop the sodium by roughly 85% versus a typical tub.
Is 1% milkfat too lean — does the protein suffer?
No. The 1% refers to fat, not protein. This tub carries under 1 g of total fat and under 1 g saturated, while still delivering the full 15 g of protein. The 1% just means the calorie count (90 per half-cup) is almost entirely protein, with very little fat riding along — the leanest way to eat cottage cheese without going fully nonfat.
What are the locust bean gum and carrageenan doing in here?
They're stabilizers — they hold the curds and the cream dressing together so the tub doesn't weep liquid. Carrageenan in particular is the reason the ingredient grade is B+ and not A; some shoppers prefer to avoid it. If you want a gum-free cottage cheese, Good Culture's tubs use just milk, cream, salt, and cultures (but carry full sodium).
Is the 4 g of sugar added sugar?
No. The 4 g is naturally-occurring lactose from the milk — there's no added sweetener in the USDA entry, which is why the sugar dimension scores A+ (100/100). With only 5 g total carbs per half-cup, it fits low-carb eating cleanly.
Does it qualify as 'high in protein' under FDA rules?
Yes. 15 g is 30% of the FDA's 50 g Daily Value for protein, comfortably above the 20% threshold a food needs to be labeled 'high in protein.' A full cup (30 g) clears 60% of the daily value on its own.
Who is this the right cottage cheese for?
Anyone counting sodium — for blood pressure, athletic 'cutting' phases, or just preference — who still wants an easy, spoonable protein. At 15 g protein and 55 mg sodium per half-cup, it's a rare convenient protein that doesn't bring a salt penalty. If sodium isn't on your radar, a higher-protein tub like Muuna or Good Culture (19 g) is the better all-around buy.