Milk alternative manufacturers are vigorously fighting to keep the word ‘Milk’ on their labels. The producers of almond, oat, soy, and rice ‘milk’ drinks love having them marketed next to dairy products at the grocery store. It has served them well. Two-thirds of consumers believe that these drinks are nutritionally equal to dairy products. Why wouldn’t they? The milk alternative industry markets the products as equivalent and the general public believes them.

Up until this point, the dairy versus milk alternative issue has been a naming rights issue being fought in the courts, but it has now started to affect human health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now positioning itself to take a stand.

What are the potential health issues that have prompted this response?

Many well-intended parents have chosen to substitute milk alternative drinks for dairy milk in their children’s diets, and in so doing have inadvertently deprived their children of vital nutrients. The consequences of these decisions have resulted in numerous published clinical cases of resultant malnutrition, failure to thrive, Rickets and a host of other preventable issues in infants and toddlers.

In response, the FDA is anticipated to take action in 2020 by focusing on nutrition, enforcing existing laws like the Butter Act of 1923, and enforcing established label claim regulations. It is hoped that the term ‘milk’ will once again be legally restricted to the secretions produced by the mammary glands of mammals. Doctors recommend that children under 2 years old be given whole milk as a regular part of their diet. It is hoped that, by specifying what ‘milk’ is, it will alleviate confusion in the market.

Consumers need to make decisions by having access to information from more than just manufacturers of products. With the FDA finally stepping in, parents will be put into a position to make better, more informed decisions about their children’s nutritional health.

By Brett Roeller
Director of National Accounts, QualiTru Sampling Systems
brett@qualitru.com   Follow Brett on LinkedIn