Plant-based drinks that are labeled as “milk” can continue to use the name, according to federal guidance rules released on Wednesday.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration said that plant-based beverages such as soy, oat, almond and other drinks are not derived from dairy animals, but added that consumers are not confused by the difference, The Associated Press reported.
For years, dairy producers have told the FDA that the plant-based drinks cloud the real meaning of milk.
Under the FDA’s guidance rules, the agency recommends that beverage makers clearly label their products by the plant-source of the drink, according to the AP.
Soy, oat, almond and other drinks that bill themselves as “milk” can keep using the name, according to draft federal rules released by the Food and Drug Administration. https://t.co/HwGtYkRqlU
— The Associated Press (@AP) February 23, 2023
The FDA added that any plant-based product with “milk” in its name should include a statement that explains how the product compares to dairy milk, CNN reported.
“Today’s draft guidance was developed to help address the significant increase in plant-based milk alternative products that we have seen become available in the marketplace over the past decade,” FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf said in a statement. “The draft recommendations issued today should lead to providing consumers with clear labeling to give them the information they need to make informed nutrition and purchasing decisions on the products they buy for themselves and their families.”
The draft rules do not apply to nondairy products such as yogurt, the AP reported.
The National Milk Producers Federation said it favored the FDA’s call for extra nutrition information on drink labels. However, the industry trade group rejected the FDA’s conclusion that plant-based drinks can be called milk because it’s a “common and usual name,” according to the AP.
“Today’s FDA announcement is a step toward labeling integrity for consumers of dairy products, even as it falls short of ending the decades-old problem of misleading plant-based labeling using dairy terminology,” Jim Mulhern, president of the federation, said in a statement. “By acknowledging both the utter lack of nutritional standards prevalent in plant-based beverages and the confusion over nutritional value that’s prevailed in the marketplace because of the unlawful use of dairy terms, FDA’s proposed guidance today will provide greater transparency that’s sorely needed for consumers to make informed choices.
“Still, the decision to permit such beverages to continue inappropriately using dairy terminology violates FDA’s own standards of identity, which clearly define dairy terms as animal-based products. We reject the agency’s circular logic that FDA’s past labeling enforcement inaction now justifies labeling such beverages ‘milk’ by designating a common and usual name. Past inaction is poor precedent to justify present and future inaction.”
