Dairy Groups Call New Federal Guidance For Labeling Plant-Based Milk Alternatives A 'Double-Edged Sword'

By Hope Kirwan

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new draft guidance for plant-based milk alternatives is sparking mixed reaction among the dairy industry.

The FDA released their draft guidance Wednesday after first requesting comment on the use of dairy food names by plant-based products in September 2018. 

Based on studies and focus groups, the FDA found that consumers do not mistake plant-based milk alternatives for milk.

"Although many plant-based milk alternatives are labeled with names that bear the term 'milk' (e.g., 'soy milk'), they do not purport to be nor are they represented as milk," the draft guidance said. "The comments and information we reviewed indicate that consumers understand plant-based milk alternatives to be different products than milk."

With names like soy milk and almond milk now widely used, the FDA stated that plant-based alternatives can continue to use the term "milk" in labeling.

But the agency also found there is consumer confusion around the nutritional content of plant-based alternatives. And officials expressed concern that growing consumer preference for the products could lead to consumers not getting enough calcium, vitamin D and other important nutrients.

The agency found that many consumers who purchased plant-based alternatives believed the products have a nutritional content similar to milk or are healthier than milk. But the actual nutritional content varies from product to product because there are not established standards. 

"Therefore, consistently consuming plant-based milk alternatives that do not have a similar nutritional composition to milk in place of milk, without the addition of other foods to supply the missing nutrients, could lead to further inadequate intakes of nutrients of public health concern and other nutrients that pose a special public health challenge," the draft guidance states.

The agency recommends that plant-based alternatives using the term "milk" in their name also state on their primary label that the product contains lower amounts of certain nutrients than milk.

This decision sparked anger from some dairy advocates, including Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. In a press release issued with Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, Baldwin sharply criticized FDA for allowing "the unfair use of dairy terms."

"This misguided rule will hurt America’s dairy farmers and our rural communities," Baldwin and Risch said in the release. "Since the FDA is failing to enforce its own definitions for dairy terminology and stop imitation products from deceiving consumers, we will be reintroducing our DAIRY PRIDE Act to stand up for America’s dairy farmers and the quality products they make."