Dairy Report: Food Labeling a Hot Topic

Food labeling has been making headlines across the dairy sector in the past few weeks.

France moved to ban the use of meat or dairy terminology for vegan and vegetarian food labels passing a law on April 19. A violation of the new law could result in fines up to 300,000 Euros (US$363,156).

In the U.S., Missouri is looking at a similar law that would be the first of its kind for any state.

Meanwhile, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told a Senate panel on April 24 that federal standards define milk as a product sourced from animals, and said his agency would be “taking a very close and fresh look” at imitation, plant-derived foods labeled with dairy-specific terms.

Another food labeling issue revolves around trade where trade organizations say that Mexico may be violating trade agreements by enacting new restrictions on the use of common cheese names such as “parmesan,” “munster” and “feta” for products sold in Mexico.

For more information on these issues watch the video above from AgDay or read the following stories from Dairy Herd Management.

• France Bans Vegan and Vegetarian Food Labels Using Meat or Dairy Terms

• Plant-based and Lab-grown Meat Could Get Clear Labeling in Missouri

• FDA Commissioner Pledges More Focus on Mislabeled Imitation Dairy Food

• Mexico Fails its Consumers, Trading Partners Giving Away Cheese Names