These bills are important to our dairy industry because they protect our products from fake competitors.

Real milk and real dairy products should not be confused with lab-made, plant-based alternatives that use our names. Almond “milk” is not milk. Soy “provolone” is not provolone. These are not the same things.

I know that these truth-in-food-labeling bills are not the end-all for our industry, but they are important to us as farmers. We work hard to raise strong, healthy animals to produce high-quality, nutritious food. The people who buy our products deserve the absolute best — real dairy, real ice cream, real cheese and real meat.

They should not have to figure out whether the cheese slices they hold are real — or not.

Thanks, Sen. Marklein, for standing up for real dairy farmers in Wisconsin during dairy month. We appreciate your effort.