North Carolina Looking To Tighten The Use Of The Word Milk

The 2018 North Carolina Farm Act was introduced at the state senate ag committee meeting last week.  The provision that got the most attention, locally and nationally, calls for the banning of plant-based drinks as being labeled as "milk."  North Carolina Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler supports the measure, and said products such as "soy milk" and “almond milk" are mislabeled and confusing to consumers.

“This is all plant based and there’s so many products on the market now that have the word milk in it, we believe that it’s actually hurting our dairy farmers and the consumption of real milk.”

In fact, one proposed product that is making the rounds on social and electronic media has Troxler especially concerned.

“If you can believe it, the latest craze is cockroach milk and associating the word milk with a cockroach is not what I want to see happen.”

An identical statute to the one being proposed in North Carolina is already on the federal books, but Troxler says it is not being enforced.  And with the dairy industry in a long-term slump nationally and locally, Commissioner Troxler says the time to act is now.

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