USDA Wants Comments on Dairy Food Labeling

The National Milk Producers Federation welcomes the FDA’s request for public comments on dairy foods labeling.  NMPF CEO and President Jim Mulhern said this group is hopeful that this will finally end the misleading practices of plant-based foods imitating real dairy products.  The organization will provide additional perspective in explaining why the agency must enforce its own labeling regulations and limit the standardized use of dairy terms to products that come from animals.

“We are pleased that after years of engagement, the FDA has finally acting on our concerns that these plant-based products are inappropriately marketed to consumers,” Mulhern said. “Plant-based products are packaged, merchandized, and sold in the same way as real dairy foods. However, they provide fewer nutrients and therefore cannot be considered suitable substitutes.”

The concern over accurate labeling is a concern not just about nutritional equivalence and public health. Mulhern said a food identified by a certain standard is more than just a collection of nutrients. “Just adding plant protein, calcium, and a few other ingredients doesn’t make it milk,” Mulhern said.

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