oversees standards of identity for food products sold across the
United States to ensure uniformity and to prevent confusion in
the marketplace, and enforces specific standards for a variety
of terms, including, but not limited to, "whiskey," "macaroni,"
"marshmallow" and "egg white"; and
WHEREAS, The marketplace has seen a dramatic increase in the
prevalence of plant-based drinks labeled as milk, including soy
milk, almond milk, walnut milk, cashew milk, hemp milk and oat
milk, with many arguing that these plant-based, so-called milks
are harming dairy producers by generating confusion in the
marketplace as to what exactly constitutes milk; and
WHEREAS, A clear definition of what constitutes milk will
benefit both consumers and dairy farmers by ensuring a
consistent understanding of what is and is not milk; and
WHEREAS, Significant bipartisan support to address this issue
exists within the Congress of the United States, as demonstrated
by a December 2016 letter to the United States Food and Drug
Administration signed by more than 30 members of Congress from
both political parties that states, in part, "the use of the
term 'milk' by manufacturers of plant-based products is
misleading to consumers, harmful to the dairy industry, and a
violation of milk's standard identity."; and
WHEREAS, Legislation introduced by Wisconsin Senator Tammy
Baldwin, known as the Defending Against Imitations and
Replacements of Yogurt, milk, and cheese to Promote Regular
Intake of Dairy Everyday Act, or the DAIRY PRIDE Act, states in
part:
[i]mitation dairy products, such as plant-based products
derived from rice, nuts, soybeans, hemp, coconut, algae, and
other foods that imitate milk, yogurt and cheese, often do
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