Two members of Congress have joined forces with the National Milk Producers Federation to bring back legislation designed to protect traditional dairy terminology from use by plant-based alternatives.
Representatives John Joyce, a Republican from Pennsylvania, and Josh Riley, a Democrat from New York, filed the DAIRY PRIDE Act in the House on April 21st. This House version works alongside a similar bipartisan measure that was introduced in the Senate last July.
“Dairy farmers have spent generations building trust in the nutritional value and quality of real dairy products; allowing imitation products to borrow that reputation risks misleading shoppers and muddying the marketplace,” said Gregg Doud, who serves as President and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.
According to supporters, the Food and Drug Administration has neglected to enforce its own identity standards for dairy products for almost 50 years. This has allowed manufacturers of plant-based alternatives to label their products with traditional dairy names such as “milk,” “cheese,” and “yogurt,” even though these substitutes don’t match the nutritional profile of actual dairy items. The existing standards were created to promote transparency, safeguard consumers, and ensure product names accurately reflect nutritional content. Traditional milk and dairy items contain a distinctive combination of 13 vital nutrients, including calcium, potassium, and vitamin D — nutrients that health officials say many Americans don’t get enough of in their diets.
The proposed DAIRY PRIDE legislation would require the FDA to enforce these existing standards by classifying plant-based products that incorrectly use dairy terminology as mislabeled. Additionally, the measure mandates that the FDA provide enforcement guidelines within 90 days to ensure uniform application across the country, which would help shoppers make more informed decisions while creating fair competition for dairy producers who follow current regulations.
The National Milk Producers Federation has expressed strong backing for the DAIRY PRIDE Act and praised Representatives Joyce and Riley for their cross-party cooperation. The organization plans to continue working with both Congress and the current Administration to advocate for substantial measures that preserve dairy product identity, promote public health, and create equal opportunities for American dairy farming operations.
