Senator Tammy Baldwin has reached across the political aisle to ensure dairy imitation products are labeled correctly.
Sen. Baldwin, along with fellow Democrat Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, has joined forces with Republican Senators Jim Risch of Idaho and Susan Collins of Maine to introduce the Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, milk, and cheese to Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday, or DAIRY PRIDE Act.
The group calls the mislabeling of non-dairy products using dairy names “unfair”, noting that the practice “hurts dairy farmers who work tirelessly to ensure their products meet rigorous health standards.”
Sen. Baldwin elaborated, saying, “For far too long, imitation dairy products made from plants and nuts have ridden the coattails of our dairy farmers and gotten away with using dairy’s good name without meeting those standards.”
The DAIRY PRIDE Act would specifically require the FDA to issue guidance for nationwide enforcement of mislabeled imitation dairy products within 90 days and require the FDA to report to Congress two years after enactment to hold the agency accountable for this update in their enforcement obligations.
The legislation is supported by the National Milk Producers Federation, American Farm Bureau Federation, EDGE Dairy Farmer Cooperative, Midwest Dairy Coalition, FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, Idaho Dairymen’s Association and Associated Milk Producers, Inc. (AMPI).
Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative President, Heidi Fischer, praised the bill, saying, “Preventing the misuse of dairy product names protects and enhances the confidence consumers have in the authenticity of the nutritious dairy products they buy.”
The bipartisan legislation is also cosponsored by Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Angus King (I-ME), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), John Fetterman (D-PA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Tina Smith (D-MN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Mike Rounds (R-SD).
