Real Milk

Real Milk

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
A real challenge for the third largest producing dairy state in the country... Idaho. It's one of the toughest economic times in recent memory for the nation's dairy producers. And misleading milk labels on non-dairy products aren't helping. The dairy industry has been rallying for improved enforcement for milk labeling standards — and now, the Food and Drug Administration is listening. A challenge for consumers today is knowing what's fact or fiction on the grocery store shelf, and that includes dairy products.

Many beverages are currently labeled incorrectly as milk, even though they are water-based and made from nuts, seeds or vegetables — not cows. A perfect example in my house is almond milk. Dairy farmers and legislators have been calling for FDA to review milk marketing terms, and the agency recently announced it's open to the conversation.

U.S. Congressman Peter Welch of Vermont. "Under existing law, the FDA should be stepping forward to make certain the label is accurate. The bottom line for me, why wouldn't you want to have an accurate label. Sometimes there are arguments in legislation that are very complicated. This is not one of them. This is really simple. Milk is a product from a mammary gland.

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