‘Fake milk’ and other food fights
Federal standards for characteristics of products spark distributor debates
NEW YORK — Is “fake milk” spoiling the dairy industry’s image?
Dairy producers are calling for a crackdown on the almond, soy and rice “milks” they say are masquerading as the real thing and cloud the meaning of milk. A group that advocates for plant-based products, the Good Food Institute, countered this week by asking the Food and Drug Administration to say terms such as “milk” and “sausage” can be used as long as they’re modified to make clear what’s in them.
It’s the latest dispute about what makes a food authentic, many of them stemming from developments in manufacturing practices and specialized diets.
DiGiorno’s frozen chicken “wyngz” were fodder for comedian Stephen Colbert. An eggless spread provoked the ire of egg producers by calling itself “mayo.” And as far back as the 1880s, margarine was dismissed as “counterfeit butter” by a Wisconsin lawmaker.
The U.S. actually spells out the required characteristics for a range of products. It’s these federal standards of identity that often trigger the food fights.
Cow, nut, bean
Though soy milk and almond milk have become commonplace terms, milk’s standard of identity says it is obtained by the “complete milking of one or more healthy cows.” That’s a point the dairy industry is now emphasizing.
“Mammals produce milk, plants don’t,” said Jim Mulhern, president of the National Milk Producers Federation.
The federation says it has been trying to get the FDA to enforce the standard since at least 2000, and that the lack of enforcement has led to a proliferation of imitators playing “fast and loose” with dairy terms.
Products often refer to themselves as “soymilk” or “almondmilk,” single words that the dairy industry says is a way to get around the guidelines for “milk.”
The Plant Based Foods Association, which represents companies like Tofurky and milk alternatives, says standards of identity were created to prevent companies from passing off cheaper ingredients on customers. But the group says that’s not what soy, almond and rice milk makers are trying to do.
Wyngz, not wings
“Wyngz” scored a high-profile TV appearance not long after DiGiorno launched frozen meals with pizza and the boneless chicken pieces in 2011.
The Colbert Show called the spelling out as a “governmentmandated” way to get around the fact that they’re not made of wing meat. Colbert cited a page on the USDA’s website that said the odd spelling could be used for a product that is “in the shape of a wing or a bite-size appetizer type product,” but not made entirely from wing meat.
“No other misspellings are permitted,” the website says.
The story behind the USDA declaration remains a bit of a mystery. DiGiorno owner Nestle said it wanted to call the boneless chicken pieces “wings,” since it believes people understand that “boneless wings” are not whole wings. The company says the USDA instead proposed “wyngz.”
Nestle proudly noted that it believes it was the first, and perhaps only, company to approach the USDA with an issue that led to the “wyngz” determination.