WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) led a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives in calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to crack down on the misuse of dairy terms for plant-based products, which unfairly impacts dairy farmers, processors, and consumers. The demands are in line with Senator Baldwin’s DAIRY PRIDE Act that would prevent dairy imitation products, such as calling non-dairy imitation products “milk” or “yogurt” that do not contain dairy and are instead from a plant, nut, or grain, from using dairy names. The letter to FDA Acting Commissioner Kyle Dimantas was signed by all original sponsors of the DAIRY PRIDE Act, including Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) and Representatives John Joyce (R-PA-13) and Josh Riley (D-NY-19).
“The blatant misuse of dairy terms for plant-based products unfairly impacts dairy farmers and processors and harms consumers due to inaccurate labeling information,” wrote the Senators and Members of Congress in a letter to FDA Acting Commissioner Kyle Dimantas.
“We recommend you do what your predecessors have not done. As you step into your new role, carrying with you your background at FDA Human Foods Program, we urge you to enforce dairy standards of identity and stop imitation products from usurping dairy terms. Rescinding the current FDA guidance and enforcing existing dairy standards of identity is in best interest of our nation’s consumers, dairy farmers and broader public health,” the Senators and Members of Congress concluded.
Senator Baldwin leads the bipartisan Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, milk, and cheese to Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday Act, known as the DAIRY PRIDE Act, to crack down on the unfair practice of mislabeling non-dairy products using dairy names. The DAIRY Pride Act has support from National Milk Producers Federation, American Farm Bureau Federation, EDGE Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Midwest Dairy Coalition, Farmfirst Dairy Cooperative, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, and Wisconsin Farmers Union.
Current FDA regulations define dairy products as being from animals, however, the most recent FDA guidance on fluid dairy products allows plant-based alternatives to continue to use dairy terms despite not containing dairy, nor having the nutritional value of dairy products. The American Academy of Pediatrics has raised concerns about the nutritional inadequacy of plant-based alternatives (aside from fortified soy products). Improperly-labeled imitation products suggest a false nutritional equivalency to dairy milk, which carries the high risk of nutritional deficiencies in children.
In addition to leading the bipartisan DAIRY PRIDE Act, Senator Baldwin has repeatedly called on the FDA to take administrative action to enforce standards of identity for dairy products.
Full text of the letter is available here.
