Last week, the Food and Drug Administration said it was OK for manufacturers of milk alternatives as milk, saying it’s a generic term, violating the FDA’s own definition of “milk” as coming from dairy animals.
The guidance also suggested manufacturers of almond, oat, and other milk substitutes put nutritional information on their packaging comparable to dairy milk.
Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative is an organization that supports dairy farmers in eight Midwestern states. President Brody Stapel joined us on Action 2 News at 4:30 to discuss the FDA’s action and whether a bill reintroduced in Congress last week, the Dairy Pride Act, has momentum to pass and prohibit the mislabeling of imitation dairy products.
FDA polling suggests consumers already know the substitutes don’t contain dairy. We asked Stapel if the cooperative’s research shows whether there’s still confusion over “milk,” and asked his thoughts about supporters of plant-based milk alternatives criticizing this FDA guidance over the nutrition labels.
