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FDA taking comments on alternative milk labeling until July 31

by Georgia Milk Producers

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the deadline for submitting comments on how nut and plant-based dairy alternatives should be labeled until July 31.

FDA is proposing to allow plant-based beverages to use the term “milk” on their labeling so long as they provide a nutrition statement on the package’s principal display panel detailing the nutrition differences between real milk and the plant-based beverage if the fake milk has less Calcium, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Riboflavin, or Vitamin B12 than real milk. 

The comment extension has allowed plant-based beverage companies and trade groups to submit additional comments opposing the additional nutrition statement while applauding the FDA’s decision to allow the use of the term “milk” on all packaging. One such group, the American Beverage Association, has submitted comments to that effect. Other groups are using the extension to file a formal complaint against the national dairy checkoff over its “Wood Milk” campaign claiming the videos and social media posts were trying to influence FDA’s decision by inventing a fake milk product (that does not exist and is obviously a joke) and donating proceeds from t-shirts and merchandise sales to reforestation projects.

 That's why Georgia Milk Producers is asking its members and supporters to submit comments asking FDA to enforce its own regulations (Standards of Identity) and only allow real milk products to be labeled as milk. Georgia Farm Bureau submitted comments in April asking the FDA to prohibit the use of “milk” or other dairy terms on non-dairy products, which may be read here. 

Dairy Farmers of America has an action link that will help you submit comments in less than a minute at https://p2a.co/B6hKTpQ

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