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American Farm Bureau supports dairy labeling enforcement

The American Farm Bureau Federation is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to enforce current food labeling standards for dairy substitutes.

Danny Munch tells Brownfield FDA’s proposed guidance on labeling plant-based milk alternatives has too much leeway.

“Providing flexibility on this really opens the door to define any food as anything and lets companies utilize whatever terminology they want on product labeling,” he says.

Munch says the FDA has a current standard for milk just as it does for jam and jelly.

“If it doesn’t have that amount of real fruit in it, it can’t be called jam—and that’s really to protect consumers from consuming products that might not represent what the word actually means,” he shares.

FDA’s proposed guidance suggests companies voluntarily use nutrient statements, while at the same time, saying consumers may not understand nutritional differences, and a potential health concern may exist if alternatives are used as a substitute for milk.

Farm Bureau is recommending FDA model their enforcement as done in other countries such as Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.