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By Cheryl Leahy
Do you think that almond milk comes from a cow named Almond? Or what lactate almonds? The dairy industry thinks so, and that's what she's telling the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
For years, the dairy industry has been very strong in lobbying, urging states and the federal government to forbid companies in the plant sector from using words like "milk" on their labels, evoking consumer confusion.
The National Federation of Dairy Farmers has even helped enact the "Dairy Pride Act" as part of its war against herbal products. My organization, Compbadion Over Killing (COK), and more than 10,000 petition signers suggest a better option: if the dairy industry is "proud" of its own product, why not call it "cow's milk" clearly?
Last fall, COK, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Resnick Center for Legislation and Food Policy at the University of California at Los Angeles submitted joint submissions calling on the FDA not to support anti-competitive efforts of the dairy industry by limiting the labeling of herbal dairy products. terms like "milk", with thousands of public comments submitted.
Now, the agency has received thousands of responses to its call for public comment on other terms, such as "yogurt" and "cheese". Although it is doubtful that consumers who do not let themselves be taken aback by the almond milk are suddenly blown away by the almond cheese.
While the FDA is yielding under industry pressure, the courts (and public opinion) seem to have a very different view of the issue. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has decided to uphold a lower court's rejection of a clbad action against the Blue Diamond almond milk manufacturer. The position of the court? No "reasonable consumer" is misled or misled by the etiquette.
Empirical research shows that consumers are more than able to tell the difference between dairy products of animal and vegetable origin. A notable study found that 78% of cow's milk drinkers agree that the most appropriate term for products such as soymilk and almond milk is "milk".
Even Danone, the largest yogurt producer in the world, has opposed changes to the labeling of vegetable milk products. Michael Neuwirth, senior director of external communications at Danone North America, said, "Dairy and herbal products are clearly labeled with nutritional information so that people know what they contain."
Vegan products represent a multi-billion dollar industry and consumers are deliberately leaving traditional dairy products out looking for more ethical and healthier alternatives. Cow milk sales are steadily declining and, in 2016, the major players in the dairy industry paid $ 52 million to settle a clbad action over illegal pricing by killing more than 500,000 young cows milk to reduce the supply of milk.
If the FDA wants to impose a strict definition of milk, while the dairy industry is extremely demanding, half of the cow's milk sold in this country could not even be labeled under this term. According to the FDA's standard of identity, "milk" must come from "healthy cows". But surveys like those of COK and the government's own records show that the majority of US dairy cows can not be described as "healthy".
Occupied by thousands in industrial farms, dairy cows spend their days standing and lying in their own garbage. Treated as simple machines for producing milk, they regularly suffer from many health problems, such as painful mastitis, skin and hoof infections, diarrhea, digestive diseases and lameness.
Many dairy cows become unable to stand or walk during their short life. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) count, nearly a quarter of American dairy cows had clinical mastitis. Even more cows had subclinical mastitis that could be detected by the presence of pus. Half of the milk sampled in 2017 by the USDA contained pus.
If the FDA were to adhere to the strict definition of "milk", it would be the proverbial nail in the coffin of the dairy industry.
There is also the daily cruelty and usual industry practices, such as separating the mother cows from their calves, cutting the tail, burning the horns of the young calves with hot irons and artificially inseminating them. Second, when dairy cows do not produce enough milk to be profitable, they are slaughtered at a fraction of their normal lives, often abused and manipulated cruelty because their bodies are so damaged by years of industry use. . It's not hard to understand why dairy products hurt the belly of consumers.
The current labeling terms are clear. The public is not confused. They make more and more healthier and healthier choices. It is time for the FDA, in charge of public health protection, to choose to do just that: protect consumer choice, not the profits of the industry.
Cheryl Leahy is General Counsel at Compbadion Over Killing, a nonprofit animal welfare organization based in Washington, DC. She is responsible for the development and oversight of surveys, litigation and livestock policies.
This article was produced by Earth | Food | Life, a project of the Independent Media Institute, originally published by Truthout.
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