For years, proponents of the dairy industry have argued that plant-based goods should not be permitted to use names like “milk” or “cheese” on their labels.
This controversy is now expanding to encompass items that are supposed to resemble milk but are created in a lab rather than by a cow.
Fermentation is used in lab-grown or cell-based dairy products to produce proteins that resemble whey protein. These proteins are then ground into powders that may be used to create milk, cream cheese, and other goods.
On Tuesday, Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and seven other senators wrote to the Food and Drug Administration, urging the government to prohibit these goods from using dairy names. Baldwin and other politicians have made a similar case for plant-based alternatives.
In a recent letter, Baldwin and the other senators criticize the FDA for “decades of inaction” on dairy labeling, claiming that many cell-based products are nutritionally inferior to normal dairy products in ways comparable to plant-based goods. According to the MPs, consumer uncertainty about the nutritional value of dairy replacements has resulted in public health issues.
Baldwin told Wisconsin Public Radio that the FDA has failed to safeguard consumers and dairy farmers for years because other goods “have profited off of dairy’s good name.”
“I’m calling on the Biden administration to step up and enforce dairy labeling rules, especially as new synthetic imitators enter the market,” she added.
The WPR logo
