Dairy Industry Petitions FDA To Approve Unlabeled Chemical Sweeteners

by Long Island Attorney Paul A. Lauto, Esq.

There is a growing need for full disclosure food label laws in the United States.  As if consumers did not have enough food related concerns such as food fraud, suspect FDA approvals, false labeling, increased food radiation levels, pesticides, antibiotics, GMO's and "frankenfish", we may now have to add milk and dairy products to the list. 

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), have filed a petition with the FDA to alter the definition of "milk".  They are seeking to change the definition such that it will include potentially dangerous chemical sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose, without the need to list such ingredients on the label.  This means that if the petition is approved, when a company lists "milk" on the label, it will automatically include chemical sweeteners such as aspartame or sucralose without being specifically listed.  Accordingly, if you are among the millions of Americans who choose to avoid such chemical sweeteners because they are potentially dangerous to your health, then you may be unable to do so because they will not be listed on milk labels.

But milk is not the only product that would be affected by this petition, as it includes 17  different dairy products such as yogurt, eggnog, whiiping cream and sour cream to name a few.  (see the full blog at www.liattorney.com/scales-of-justice.html)