FAYETTEVILLE – Although debate and conflict have surrounded the term “milk” since 1997, there have been recent strides in the dairy industry’s conflict regarding the labeling of plant-based products as “milk.” A publication from the National Agricultural Law Center explains the dispute’s history, facts and recent events, according to a news release.
After a push from the dairy industry to ban terms like “soymilk,” the Soyfoods Association of North America created a petition in 1997 requesting that the Food and Drug Administration recognize the term “soymilk” through a “common or usual name regulation.” Neither the dairy industry nor the soy industry’s efforts caused a change in FDA regulation or enforcement.
Two decades later, Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, a state that calls itself “America’s Dairyland,” introduced 2017’s “Dairy PRIDE Act” to ensure that the legal definition of milk, for labeling purposes, is defined as being “obtained by the complete milking of one or more hooved animals.”
Recently, Scott Gottlieb, FDA Commissioner, has stated that banning the word milk for plant-based products would provide more clarity and prevent consumer confusion. (See: https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm621824.htm)
Meanwhile, lawmakers in some states are passing their own legislation on the issue.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“There is a lot of ambiguity surrounding this debate and any clarity will have to come from the FDA, and, most likely, the courts, to determine whether plant-based products can be labeled as ‘milk’,” said Rusty Rumley, staff attorney for the National Agricultural Law Center.
Read the full story in the white paper, “Plant Based ‘Milk’ Labeling” here: https://bit.ly/2OxoZgc. For more information on emerging issues in agricultural law, visit nationalaglawcenter.org
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without discrimination.
— Sarah Cato is withe U of A System Division of Agriculture.