Should the Word 'Milk' Be Used To Describe Nondairy Milk-Alternative Products? (arstechnica.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration seems to have soured on nondairy milk-alternative products that use the term "milk" in their marketing and labeling -- like popular soy and almond milk products. In a talk hosted by Politico, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced Tuesday that the FDA will soon issue a new guidance on the use of the term. But he added that products aren't abiding by FDA policies as they stand now. He referenced a so-called "standard of identity" policy that regulates how milk is defined and should be identified. "If you look at our standard of identity -- there is a reference somewhere in the standard of identity to a lactating animal," he said. "And, you know, an almond doesn't lactate, I will confess."

He went on to explain that the issue is that the agency hasn't been enforcing its own policy or putting the squeeze on product makers -- and that it's time to get abreast of the labeling language. But, he admitted, curtailing the wording of non-moo juice labeling isn't an easy task because it means that the agency has to change its "regulatory posture." "I can't just do it unilaterally," Gottlieb said. Hence, the agency is putting together a new guidance for manufacturers to help skim the fat from the market. Gottlieb said the agency will soon tap the public for comments on the terminology and hopes to wring out a new policy within a year.

Comments

Coconuts

[amalcolm]

The 'juice' inside a coconut has always been called milk AFAIR. It's a natural thing to do, to extend the use of a word to cover something 'similar'. We do it all the time, and in the case of these products which are pitched as cow's mile replacements, there seems even more reason to do so.

Re:Coconuts

[Anonymous Coward]

Coconut water is the water inside a coconut.
Coconut milk is the result of putting the white coconut flesh trough a blender and straining it.

Coconut juice is not milk and never was

[sjbe]

The 'juice' inside a coconut has always been called milk AFAIR. It's a natural thing to do, to extend the use of a word to cover something 'similar'.

It's not similar and just because something has been done a certain way doesn't make it accurate. If it comes from a plant it is by definition not milk. Milk is a substance secreted by mammals to feed their young. If it doesn't come from a mammal it isn't milk. If it comes from a plant it is juice. So the accurate term is coconut juice.

We do it all the time, and in the case of these products which are pitched as cow's mile replacements, there seems even more reason to do so.

Just because something is a substitute doesn't mean you should call it something different than what it actually is. Margarine is (sometimes) a butter substitute but we don't call it butter. If it is a liquid derived from a plant then it is (generally) supposed to be called juice. Nothing wrong with saying coconut juice or soy juice or almond juice. Just coloring something white doesn't make it milk.

Re: Coconut juice is not milk and never was

[rgmoore]

Real milk is over 8% fat.

[[Citation Needed]]. A quick check of the best references I have available says the typical level for cow's milk is 4%. It varies by breed, but even the richest breeds, like Jersey, have just a bit above 5%. 8% is what you'd expect from something like water buffalo milk, which is the richest of any of the animals humans regularly use as a milk source.

That's not to say that "whole" milk is whole. As I understand it, typical milk processing involves separating the fat from the rest of the milk and then recombining it at specified levels to create a standardized product. So "whole" milk will always be 4% fat, even if it comes from a breed that naturally produces more fat than that; the rest of the fat is removed for products like cream and butter.

Re:Milk comes from a mammal - Juice from a plant

[Dogtanian]

"Carob works on the principle that, when mixed with the right combination of fats and sugar, it can duplicate chocolate in color and texture. Of course, the same can be said of dirt." - Sandra Boynton

Acid Test

[JBMcB]

The problem is language is fluid. It's been called coconut milk for centuries. Changing it to coconut juice would be more confusing than leaving it alone.

I think the important thing here is the modifier. As long as you are calling it "Almond Milk" or "Soy Milk" it would be pretty obvious to the average consumer that it isn't dairy milk, especially as the already common term "Coconut Milk" is in use.

Doing this is common in many languages. German is famous for mashing existing words together to make new ones.

By Definition?

[Comboman]

If it comes from a plant it is by definition not milk.

By Definition? The number two definition of milk from Websters is "a liquid resembling milk in appearance: such as a) the latex of a plant b) the contents of an unripe kernel of grain."

Re:Milk comes from a mammal - Juice from a plant

[avandesande]

Chemically the almond 'milk' has more in common with animal milk, it is a fat based emulsion whereas juice is dissolved sugars.