Analysis | “Dairy Pride” and “soy boys”: The heated identity politics of non-dairy milk – By Joy Saha & Ashlie D. Stevens (Salon) / Mar 1, 2023
The FDA just announced guidance that recommends plant-based alternatives can be labeled as “milk” — for now
On Feb. 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made a recommendation that shook the dairy industry. For several years, the federal agency has been drafting guidelines to “help ensure appropriate labeling of plant-based products that are marketed and sold as alternatives to milk.”
These include products like soy, oat, almond and pea milks, which the FDA collectively refers to throughout the draft as PBMAs, or “plant-based milk alternatives.” Prompted by pushback from members of the dairy industry, as well as the politicians who represent them, regarding plant-based products being labeled as “milk,” the FDA issued a notice in 2018 soliciting comments from the public to gain insight into how consumers understood the word.
The agency received more than 13,000 comments.
“After reviewing these comments and conducting focus group studies with consumers, the FDA determined that consumers generally understand that PBMA do not contain milk and choose PBMA because they are not milk,” the FDA wrote in a press release.
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