What is the Japanese Cheesecake trend? Viral TikTok trend and protein-maxxing buzz leave supermarket shelves empty in Australia

Australians are finding it really tough to buy Greek yoghurt, as it has become one of the hardest-to-find items on the country's supermarket shelves in recent months. Amid the rise in demand for light and high-protein varieties, supermarkets and some shoppers and online commentators have claimed that the shortage is due to a dramatic surge in demand, driven by a mix of social media trends and a broader cultural obsession with high-protein foods.

Coles, Woolworths and Aldi have all reported shortages of popular light and high-protein varieties. According to SBS News, the major supermarket chains said they are working with suppliers to keep up with the increased demand.

On one end, Coles claimed that “high protein foods across multiple categories have surged in popularity over the past 18 months, driven by health-conscious Australians and protein-focused social media content", while Aldi, on the other, linked shortages in cottage cheese to “viral trends and dietary choices", according to Greek City Times.

What is the Japanese cheesecake trend?

Several shoppers and commentators online have reportedly blamed the viral Japanese cheesecake trend for the shortage. According to the viral trend, TikTok and Instagram content creators and influencers mix biscuits into Greek yoghurt to make a fluffy, no-bake dessert, according to Greek City Times.

Japanese social media has been flooded with users mixing Greek yoghurt with French sable cookies, which are similar to shortbread. Since then, the trend has spread, with users around the world—often choosing other types of biscuits—filming themselves dipping their biscuits into yoghurt.

They then place the mixture in the fridge overnight. Users say that during this cooling period, the biscuits and yoghurt combine, producing a cheesecake-like taste.

What are experts saying?

Speaking to SBS News, Dr Fiona Willer, President of Dietitians Australia, said that the shortages result from “a couple of trends colliding". “One is the cheesecake, yoghurt, and TikTok phenomena colliding with this kind of trend towards higher protein intake,” she further stated.

The Japanese cheesecake hack gained popularity in early 2026, but the shift towards protein-heavy diets has been growing steadily for years, reaching its peak in 2025 and showing no signs of slowing in 2026. The phenomenon is often referred to as “protein-maxxing”, a social media-driven movement that promotes high-protein eating for fitness gains, faster metabolism, reduced hunger, and other claimed benefits.

Calling high-protein diets a "social media phenomenon rather than one driven by science", Dr Willer told SBS News, "The national guidelines have not changed. The human body's protein requirements have not increased recently, but there again tends to be a trend towards people being concerned about [protein]."

"As dietitians, we're not really concerned about the protein intake of Australians; we really have very rarely dipped below what we need biologically as a population," she added.