A struggle over the labeling of dairy products vs nuts and other alternatives continues, and two prominent Maine legislators are involved.
Senators Susan Collins, a Republican, and Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, signed a letter to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf earlier this month urging him to prohibit “dairy imitation products” from using terms like milk, cheese, and yogurt on labels.
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“It is critical that FDA intervene to prevent this new violation committed by cell-based foods from compounding the harm Americans are already experiencing from FDA’s decades of inaction on plant-based mislabeling,” the senators stated in their letter.
This labeling debate has raged at the federal level for years, with dairy farmers and manufacturers claiming that plant-based or cell-based products obscure the definition of “milk.” King and Collins have already chastised alternative milk producers for using the phrase.
It exemplifies how dairy farms retain cultural clout in areas such as Maine, where the struggling sector has shrunk from about 4,600 farms in 1954 to just under 200 now. At the same time, the alternative milk sector is expanding, with one estimate predicting that the market would more than quadruple worldwide by 2030.
King and Collins have supported variations of the DAIRY PRIDE Act, which would prohibit non-dairy goods from using names like “milk,” “yogurt,” or “cheese” on their labels. The measure has already stagnated, and this year’s version is unlikely to go through as Congress deals with the threat of a government shutdown.
On Nov. 17, 2021, young heifers are seen at the grounds of the Cole Dairy Farm in Sidney, immediately after the farm announced its closure.
The FDA decided in February that soy, oat, almond, and other alternative milk drinks may continue to use the term “milk” in their names and labels since U.S. consumers are not confused by the distinction. According to research, most consumers recognize the nutritional distinctions between cow and plant-based milk products.
The FDA’s proposed rules for drinks — but not for other goods like yogurt — also advise manufacturers to properly identify items with the food source, such as “soy milk” or “cashew milk.” It requests optional supplementary nutrition labels that indicate when the beverages have less nutrients than dairy milk.
“Accuracy in labeling” is important, according to Jenni Tilton-Flood, who works at Flood Brothers Farm, a dairy farm in Clinton, and believes that labeling should not impede the availability, accessibility, and affordability of such goods.
“Mainers want a distinction of what food is on the shelf,” she said.
On Thursday, February 16, 2017, the ingredients label for soy milk is displayed at a supermarket shop in New York. According to proposed government guidelines announced Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, soy, oat, almond, and other beverages marketed as “milk” may continue to use the term. Patrick Sison / Associated Press
Consumers, however, are not perplexed by plant-based “milk” products, according to Avery Yale Kamila, the “Vegan Kitchen” writer for the Maine Sunday Telegram. Sometimes they uncover the inverse: items labeled “dairy-free” that really contain cow’s milk.
According to Kamila, who grew up on a dairy farm in Richmond, the focus on labeling is distracting from discussions about why Maine’s dairy farms are struggling, such as supply issues, an aging workforce, and “forever chemical” contamination, as well as climate change concerns related to cows’ methane emissions and extreme weather.
“What can we do to keep people on the land and make it sustainable?” she continued.
According to a press release regarding the FDA letter signed by Collins and King, Maine dairy farmers and creameries contribute about 4,700 direct and 10,000 indirect employment, as well as $1.9 billion in direct and indirect economic benefits.
Plant-based advocates sympathize with both politicians and dairy farmers, but they don’t expect the FDA to make substantial regulatory changes anytime soon.
“I think their heart is in the right place,” said Myranda McGowan of The Whole Almond, which offers almond, cashew, and other alternative milk products in the Portland region. “But at the same time, I don’t think it’s anyone’s intent to fool consumers.”
