The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released draft recommendations in regards to the plant-based milk industry.
The draft guidance makes it clear that as long as companies prefix it with the proper ingredient such as “soy”, “oat” and “rice”, plant-based milk producers can continue to use the term “milk” for their products (for example, “soy milk”). The FDA also recommends “voluntary nutrient statements” on plant-based milk labels.
“Today’s draft guidance was developed to help address the significant increase in plant-based milk alternative products that we have seen become available in the marketplace over the past decade,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D., as quoted in an FDA press release. “The draft recommendations issued today should lead to providing consumers with clear labeling to give them the information they need to make informed nutrition and purchasing decisions on the products they buy for themselves and their families.” Labelling
A press release from the FDA said many people might not know about the nutritional differences between milk and plant-based products. For example, almond or oat “milks” can be used for a source of calcium, but their nutritional content may differ from cow milk.
The draft guidance recommends the plant-based milk industry to use the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service fluid milk substitutes nutrient criteria to determine if the milk alternative has similar nutrients to milk.
“It is one of the priorities of the FDA’s nutrition efforts to ensure people in the U.S. have greater access to healthier foods and nutrition information to help make healthy choices more easily,” the press release said.
The draft guidance comes as a disappointment to the traditional dairy industry which has fought for some time now to prevent plant-based companies from using terms like milk and “plant-based cheese”.
