Causes.com
| 5.5.23
BILL: Should We Protect Milk From Plant-Based Alternatives? - The Dairy Pride Act - S.549
Do you support protecting the dairy industry?
The Bill
The DAIRY PRIDE Act
Bill Status
- Sponsored by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) on Feb. 28, 2023
- Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- House and Senate: Not yet voted
- President: Not yet signed
Bill Overview
- The bill, officially titled "Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, Milk, and Cheese To Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday Act," intends to ensure that no plant-based foods are sold under the designation of "milk" because they don't meet the definition or criterion set forth for dairy products.
- The DAIRY PRIDE Act would require the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to take action against manufacturers labeling dairy imitators as milk.
What's in the Bill?
Promotes dairy as key to a healthy diet
- Reinforces the stance of the Dietary Guidelines of America, which states that dairy products are an important part of a healthy diet for both children and adults.
- Congress finds that approximately 90% of the population of the U.S. does not meet the daily dairy intake recommendation.
- Purports that consuming dairy foods provides numerous health benefits, including lowering the risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Dairy is rich in vitamins like vitamin D, potassium, and calcium.
Claims that plant "milks" do not meet the nutritional profile of dairy milk
- The bill finds that plant milk has less protein and naturally occurring calcium and vitamin D.
- It states that plant-based milk's portion size and calorie load must exceed that of dairy milk to offer the same nutrition.
- Purports that imitation dairy products, such as plant-based products derived from rice, nuts, hemp, coconut, and oat, have inadequate nutritional profiles.
Suggests that plant-based products labeled as milk mislead consumers
- The FDA defines milk as the "lacteal secretion obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows" and is, therefore, a misnomer when applied to plant-based products.
- The DAIRY Pride Act requires the FDA to "fulfill its responsibilities" to educate consumers about nutrition and reduce ambiguities.
- Enables products that violate the requirements to be deemed "misbranded" under federal law, and violators could be subject to punishment.
Challenges the FDA's new labeling guidance
- Invalidates the FDA's recent guidance that allows plant-based products to market themselves as milk. In the motion, the FDA permitted producers to qualify the word milk by including the actual ingredient in the label, i.e., almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk.
What Supporters are Saying
"The Biden Administration's guidance that allows non-dairy products to use dairy names is just wrong, and I'm proud to take a stand for Wisconsin farmers and the quality products they make. Our bipartisan DAIRY Pride Act will protect our dairy farmers and ensure consumers know the nutritional value of what they are purchasing."
- Co-sponsor Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) said that imitation products "have gotten away with using dairy's good name without meeting those standards."
- Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) said:
"Milk comes from a cow—not an almond or coconut or any other fruit or vegetable."
What Opponents are Saying
- The newly formed lobby, the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), argues that the bill would necessitate a massive packaging revamp and rebranding, which could bankrupt businesses or dissuade startups.
- The PBFA said that if it does pass, it could be challenged on constitutional First Amendment grounds as restricting plant-based companies' freedom of speech.
- Good Karma Foods CEO Doug Radi said:
"[B]ut the reality is the consumer has been voting for the better part of two or three decades, increasingly toward plant-based milks."
- Cow's milk has significant climate impacts. It creates three times as many greenhouse gas emissions and uses ten times as much land as plant-based alternatives.
Do you support protecting the dairy industry?
—Emma Kansiz
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Milk and other dairy products are the top source of saturated fat in the American diet, contributing to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have also linked dairy to an increased risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers."
"Infants and children produce enzymes that break down lactose, the sugar found in breast milk and cow’s milk, but as we grow up, many of us lose this capacity. Lactose intolerance is common, affecting about 95 percent of Asian Americans, 74 percent of Native Americans, 70 percent of African Americans, 53 percent of Mexican Americans, and 15 percent of Caucasians. Symptoms include upset stomach, diarrhea, and gas."
"Research shows that dairy products have little or no benefit for bone health. According to an analysispublished in the British Medical Journal, most studies fail to show any link between dairy intake and broken bones, or fractures. "
According to Christopher Gardner, a professor and nutrition researcher from the Stanford Prevention Research Center,
"nutrients in plant-based milks, like calcium, are often comparable to those in dairy milk, there’s nothing special about milk beverages in general."
"That’s why plant-based milks, much like dairy milk, are optional. Since dietary calcium can come from leafy greens, soy and other foods, “if you wanted to switch to plant milk … you'd be better eating the almonds than the almond milk, you'd be better eating the cashews than the cashew milk. But people are buying this to pour on their cereal, because they grew up putting a white thing on a breakfast grain,”
Plenty of non-dairy sources of calcium which have a higher bioavailability (your body absorbs more). You only absorb 30% of dairy sources but 50% of plant sources of calcium.
In addition cows contribute to climate change. A single cow produces between 154 to 264 pounds of methane gas per year. Not counting for the emissions of any other livestock, 1.5 billion cattle, raised specifically for meat production worldwide, emit at least 231 billion pounds of methane into the methane into the atmosphere each year (Our World in Data)."
https://grist.org/agriculture/a-major-dairy-company-plans-to-slash-methane-emissions-but-theres-an-elephant-in-the-room/
https://www.causes.com/comments/77086
https://www.causes.com/comments/35694
https://www.causes.com/comments/35151
https://www.causes.com/comments/8363
https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2022/07/14/forget-buy-out-schemes-dutch-dairy-players-look-to-innovation-to-cut-nitrogen-emissions
https://www.kvk.nl/english/innovation/nitrogen-emissions-in-the-netherlands-what-do-we-know/
https://www.causes.com/comments/73115
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/calcium/
https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/nutrition-information/health-concerns-about-dairy/calcium-and-strong-bones
https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/is-milk-bad-for-you-heres-what-the-science-says
Who cares
anyone with half a brain can discern between dairy products & non dairy!
we have more pressing issues to solve such as deranged republicans & 'conservatives' who make the following statements after 199 mass shootings in 96 days ...
Texas lawmaker says critics of prayer as shooting response “are people that don’t believe in an almighty God”
It is difficult to determine what the issue is.
Anyone can get distracted while shopping, I really don’t think it is a good idea to sell true dairy, and faux milk like almond, oat, and soy next to each other.
Given the nutrition and taste, Having dairy and Faux milk blends might be a good idea.
In any case, I want everything clearly labeled: real diary milk, faux "milk," and plant dairy blends.
The dairy industry does NOT need protection!!! The US government "spends $38 billion each year to subsidize the meat and dairy industries, but only 0.04 percent of that (i.e., $17 million) each year to subsidize fruits and vegetables". Those figures need to be reversed, in my opinion.
We have been made to believe that dairy is part of the food pyramid of "healthy" eating, but it's not! Some of the healthiest & longest living people on the planet consume absolutely NO dairy.
For mammals, drinking your mother's milk is natural. Humans drinking milk made for calves is not natural . Bone fractures, acne, high cholesterol and some cancers have been linked to consumption of milk.
Then, if you're compassionate, there is the awful treatment of cows. "On many industrial dairy farms, cows are subjected to cruel treatment including repeated impregnation, forced overproduction of milk, restrictive confinement and poor nutrition."
My recommendation, watch Cowspiracy. Do your research. You don't need cow's milk. You never did. The dairy industry needs NO protection! We do!
CBS Sunday Morning interviewed a dairy farmer who could not sell his milk because of Forever Chemicals in it. I was glad that I can no longer consume milk.
Alternative milk became an option and exploded due to lactose intolerance. People wanted milk for cereal, drinking and to use in recipes. Drinking milk is not an option for most people.
Maybe milk farmers need to find other uses for cows' milk.
In 2008 two guys bought a farm in upstate New York. The farm next to them had goats. The neighbor could not afford to keep the goats so he sold it to the two new neighbors. The town was filled with a lot of artists. One person used the goat milk as soap. A million dollar industry was born(could be worth more). Beekman soap is made from goats' milk. It is great for eczema flare ups. Beekman has body lotions, skincare (for face), laundry soap, household cleaners, etc.
Milk farmers may need to get creative.
I have no problem with plant based 'milk' products, but I do believe that these should always be labeled according to what plant or plant family they are made from.
I dont' believe cow's milk needs to be protected. But I do believe in clearness in product name and design for consumption in the marketplace.
No one is confused about whether oat milk is really dairy milk or not, so forcing them to remove the word 'milk' is meaningless. It is simply a way for the dairy industry to try to fight the increasing popularity of alternatives which are great options for those with allergies, sensitivities, and can also be more environmentally friendly. Let Americans decide what they want to drink without micromanaging everything.
this bill assumes that people aren't smart enough to be able to tell the difference between a true dairy product and alternative milk. It also ignores the fact that some people can't have dairy products and may need to supplement their diet with other kinds of milk.
No, do not protect the Dairy industry's ability to dictate what foods are available. This sounds like it is a ploy to protect their business, not the public's health or ability to choose their own diet. Many people have problems with milk itself, not necessarily with all milk-based products.
I am allergic to milk, and so drink & use plant-based milks. I do, however, eat cultured milk products such as greek yogurt and cheeses.
What happened to competition being a good thing? I love milk. I also love soy milk. I vote both.
This is a non issue.
I oppose this legislation. Please vote NO.
The bill has no value to society beyond a special interest whose health and environmental relevance are fading fast.
Animal milk is one of the worst liquids a human can consume. My dr told me as a child it was the cause of my congestion and repeated asthma attacks.
Myriad plant milks are so much healthier for you and Eli are the need for extreme cruelty toward animals.
Why are we looking at legislation like this? This is frivolous and makes no sense whatsoever. We have major issues that need to be solved and we are wasting time on legislation like this. This is why people get so turned off by the Democrats. If Democrats would ever get their act together, imagine what could be accomplished.
The dairy industry like all huge industries is only worried about increasing their profits.
I, on the other hand, have other concerns.
Too many children are lsactose intolerant and some are frankly allergic to cows milk.
Let plant based substitutes for cows milk use "MILK" on their labels.
The competition might be good for cows milk producers.