Madison, WI – Today, State Senator Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) and his Democratic colleagues on the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Tourism sent a letter to U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf regarding the FDA’s recent draft recommendations on the naming of plant-based foods that are marketed and sold as alternatives to milk. The letter pushed back against the draft guidance, which would allow plant-based foods to label themselves as “milk” and recommends these products include a voluntary nutrient statement on the differences between their product and milk.
State Senator Brad Pfaff released the following statement:
“Wisconsin dairy farmers work hard to produce high-quality milk that provides great nutritional value to those who drink it. The FDA’s draft guidance is bad for farmers and bad for Wisconsin.”
“Milk is milk. Clarity in the nutritional differences between milk and plant-based products using the “milk” name is essential for consumers to understand what they’re buying.”
“Wisconsin’s dairy production is a vital part of our agriculture industry, which generates over $104 billion in economic activity each year. Enabling non-dairy products to portray themselves as nutritionally equivalent to dairy threatens both our producers and our economy.”
