Senators Baldwin and Risch Slam FDA’s Anti-Dairy Guidance
Baldwin and Risch plan to reintroduce DAIRY PRIDE Act to stand up for dairy farmers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Jim Risch (R-ID) slammed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their ill-advised guidance on the unfair use of dairy terms to mislabel plant-based products. The FDA’s draft guidance, “Labeling of Plant-based Milk Alternatives and Voluntary Nutrient Statement,” allows plant-based products to continue to use dairy terms despite not containing dairy, nor having the nutritional value of dairy products.
Current FDA regulations define dairy products as being from dairy animals. Although existing federal regulations are clear, the FDA has not enforced these labeling regulations and the mislabeling of plant-based products as ‘milk,’ ‘yogurt,’ and ‘cheese’ has increased rapidly. Instead, the FDA today issued draft guidance that contradicts their own regulation and definitions, allowing non-dairy products to use dairy names, violating the Administrative Procedure Act, and hurting dairy farmers and producers.
The bipartisan Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, milk, and cheese to Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday Act (DAIRY PRIDE Act) would require the FDA to issue guidance for nationwide enforcement of mislabeled plant-based products within 90 days and require the FDA to report to Congress two years after enactment to hold the agency accountable for this update in their enforcement obligations.
The legislation would also nullify any guidance that is not consistent with dairy standards of identity, including the one released today.
An online version of this release is available here.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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