Report in Opposition to the DAIRY PRIDE Act

SUMMARY

The Animal Law Committee (Lori A. Barrett, Chair) and the Consumer Affairs Committee (Carla A. Latty, Chair) issued a report that opposes the Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, Milk, and Cheese to Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday Act (DAIRY PRIDE Act).  The proposed legislation would prohibit the use of the word “milk” in names of products such as “soymilk,” “almond milk,” “coconut milk,” “rice-milk,” and similar plant-based beverages as well as words like “ice cream,” “yogurt,” and “cheese” for plant-based foods.  The Committees argue that neither the facts nor the law warrant prohibiting the use of the terms “milk,” “ice cream,” “yogurt,” and “cheese” in plant-based product names because, inter alia, the names of popular non-dairy ice creams, yogurts and cheeses already clearly state that they are plant-based; there is no evidence that consumers are misled about the nutritional content of plant-based milks; and the qualified use of the word “milk” in the names of plant-based products is not “a violation of milk’s standard of identity.”  

BILL INFORMATION

H.R.778 (Rep. Welch) / S.130 (Sen. Baldwin) – Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, Milk, and Cheese To Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday Act (DAIRY PRIDE Act); to require enforcement against misbranded milk alternatives (115th Congress (2017-2018))