The Food and Drug Administration said it plans on releasing guidance on the issue of labeling plant-based dairy alternatives by July 2022, an action that will no doubt be a matter of contention for both dairy and plant-based food interests.
The dairy industry has opposed allowing plant-based dairy alternatives to use terms like "milk," "yogurt," or "cheese" on their labels and has called on FDA to enforce standards of identity for milk which states that the term "milk" should only apply to a beverage derived from cows.
FDA in 2018 issued a request for information to determine whether consumers are confused by plant-based products that are labeled as "milk."
The National Milk Producers Federation petitioned FDA to make a distinction between dairy and plant-based products, but the plant-based food industry has fought the proposal. It is not clear where FDA will land on the issue, but the timeline released by the agency indicates a timeline for addressing the matter.