On Feb. 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made a recommendation that shook the dairy industry. For several years, the federal agency has been drafting guidelines to "help ensure appropriate labeling of plant-based products that are marketed and sold as alternatives to milk."
These include products like soy, oat, almond and pea milks, which the FDA collectively refers to throughout the draft as PBMAs, or "plant-based milk alternatives." Prompted by pushback from members of the dairy industry, as well as the politicians who represent them, regarding plant-based products being labeled as "milk," the FDA issued a notice in 2018 soliciting comments from the public to gain insight into how consumers understood the word.
