We’re interested to know if consumers are aware of, and understand, the nutritional characteristics and differences among these products and dairy when they make dietary choices for themselves and their families.
ADAM CAMPBELL-SCHMIDT: ‘If milk isn’t made from milk, is it milk at all? For the Food and Drug Administration, that conundrum is officially going up for debate. In the United States, plant-based products like almond milk, soy milk, and oat milk have enjoyed free reign to call themselves “milk” despite a not being what the FDA and public might deem as “dairy”—i.e. made from cow’s milk. The concept spreads to other application like vegan yogurts and cheeses, which can all be made from nuts and other plants, but are not technically living up to those definitions. In Europe, a court ruled that plant-based products must go by “beverage,” “drink,” or other substitute terms. While the FDA had previously avoided taking a stand on the issue in the States, FDA commissioner Scott Gottleib took a cue from Congress and issued a request for information, asking the public to weigh in on how it views non-dairy milks in the marketplace…
“We’ve taken the first step in this process by issuing a request for information (RFI) in the Federal Register to solicit comments and feedback from the public to gain more insight into how consumers use plant-based alternatives and how they understand terms like ‘milk’ or ‘cheese’ when used to label products made, for example, from soy, peas or nuts,” the FDA statement reads. “We’re interested to know if consumers are aware of, and understand, the nutritional characteristics and differences among these products—and between these products and dairy—when they make dietary choices for themselves and their families”.’ SOURCE…