Denmark-based dairy co-operative Arla Foods believed animal-based protein and plant-based protein could supplement each other and need not compete but the European Court of Justice ruling was clear that plant–based products could not use terms traditionally associated with animal protein.
“The European ruling is very clear and we see no reason why the opinions of regulators and legislators would differ in other parts of the world,” an Arla spokeswoman said.
While plant-based proteins mimicking dairy were growing, the spokeswoman said they did not have the same nutrients as cow’s milk and therefore not the same health benefits.
“This was underlined by the European Court of Justice very recently stating that purely plant-based products cannot be labelled as milk, cream, butter, cheese or yoghurt.”
United States National Milk Producers’ Federation president and chairman Jim Mulhern said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could no longer ignore demands from Congress and industry that it enforce its own regulations to prevent “fake dairy foods” using terminology associated with dairy products.
“State officials have witnessed the same concerning trend all of us in the dairy community have seen.
“When the regulatory cop is not on the beat, clever marketers will capitalise on that void and violate long-standing food labelling standards by marketing almond milk, soy cheese and rice yogurt.
“And when the latest milks are coming from pulverised quinoa, algae and hemp it’s past time something needs to be done.”
Mulhern said plant-based producers could no longer play loose and fast with labelling regulation and rely on the FDA to do nothing while they “bask in milk’s halo without offering the same consistent level of nutrition”.
The New York Times reported earlier this year that a 2013 class-action suit in San Francisco and another in 2015 in California to restrict the use of dairy terms were both dismissed with the judges saying it was obvious the plant-based products were not cows’ milk.
In the earlier case claimants argued that almond, coconut and soy milk were mislabelled because they did not contain cow milk while the later court case argued consumers could be misled into thinking soy milk and cows’ milk were nutritionally equivalent.
But, it appeared the response of the world’s largest dairy companies to the challenge of plant-based protein was to promote dairy milk’s nutritional values.
The Farmers Weekly asked some of the world’s largest meat and dairy processors how they were addressing the challenge of plant-based protein and the consistent answer from dairy was to tell consumers of the nutritional value of including cows’ milk in diets.
A spokeswoman for Arla Foods said it was involved in research projects that substantiated the health benefits and superior quality of dairy-based protein compared to plant protein.
“To secure the health of our consumers we need to make sure that this knowledge is available to them.”
Arla believed animal-based and plant-based products could supplement each other.
“We are also looking into how intelligent combinations of plant and animal proteins could supplement each other to secure maximum health benefit of the consumer in the developing part of the world, yet at an affordable price.”
As the world’s population increased a combination of vegetable-based protein with protein from dairy and meat could have a role.
A spokesman for Netherlands-based dairy company FrieslandCampina said the 18,900 farmer-owned co-operative did not view plant based-protein designed to mimic dairy as a threat because milk was more than protein.
“This cannot be said about plant protein products.
“The constituents of milk or other dairy foods do not work in isolation but interact with each other.
“It is increasingly recognised in the scientific world that the effects of milk and dairy foods on health extend beyond the benefits of the individual nutrients they contain.
“This is not the case with plant protein products.
The FrieslandCampina spokesman said it was part of sector-wide legal action “against unjustified claims” to protect dairy-specific terms, not only in Europe but in individual European countries.
