Monday, May 17, 2010

The Word Milk


There is a Facebook Group called "They Don't Got Milk" the group was created to remove the word "milk" from non dairy milks. They want "rice milk" changed to "rice beverage" and so on. What do you think?

The Facebook group is run by The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Part of their slogan is Milk comes from cows, not plants! Show your support for real dairy.

They are not against alternative beverages directly, they want "milk" to be only used for mammal milk not plant based milks. They have even suggested "imitation milk" for rice milks.

People with allergies tend to have two reactions either rice milk, soy milk, cows milk it's all the used the same way, just the plant based milks don't cause allergic reactions. What next they will want next, to own the term "cry over spilt milk"?

Other people feel that situations like people saying "He's drinking milk, I thought he was allergic", then explaining no it's rice milk not cow's milk, would be easier, with terms like soy alternative beverages.

The National Milk Producers also want names like cheese and yogurt to be removed from "vegan cheese", "vegan yogurt" or "dairy free yogurts"

2 comments:

Colette said...

Actually, I think this might make it easier for those of us allergic to milk. Then when we see 'milk' on a label, we would know it's off limits. I don't need my milk replacements to be called milk.

Beverly said...

Actually, this is nothing more than the dairy industry's attempt to control the "milk" market and hurt its competition. The phrases "nut milk," "almond milk," and "coconut milk" have been around far longer than the dairy industry has been promoting it's cow's milk products to American consumers.

The phrase "soy beverage" doesn't sound at all like the white, creamy drink people expect when they see the word "milk" on a label. And if someone can't figure out that a container marked "soy milk," "rice milk," or "coconut milk" isn't cow's milk, then they need to be reading labels more carefully anyway. Just about any alternative non-dairy "milk beverage" I've ever seen also says "dairy-free" on the label, but if you're allergic to something, you ought to be reading the ingredients statement on all foods to make sure it doesn't contain any traces of the allergenic ingredient you wish to avoid.