Simpson Reintroduces DAIRY PRIDE Act

Washington, D.C. – Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, along with Representatives John Joyce M.D. (R-PA), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), Ann Kuster (D-NH), Angie Craig (D-MN), and Joe Courtney (D-CT), today reintroduced the DAIRY PRIDE Act of 2023 to prevent milk alternatives or plant-based products from being marketed or misbranded using terms commonly associated with dairy products.

The reintroduction of the DAIRY PRIDE Act follows recently released draft guidance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that allows plant-based products the freedom to use dairy terms despite having none of the nutritional value of milk products. The DAIRY PRIDE Act would require the FDA to take enforcement action against manufacturers labeling dairy imitators as milk.

“Milk comes from a cow—not an almond or coconut or any other fruit or vegetable,” said Simpson. “As the co-chair of the Congressional Dairy Caucus and representing the state with the third-largest production of dairy, I am fully committed to supporting the dairy producers across the country and empowering consumers to make informed nutritional decisions. I am proud to cosponsor the DAIRY PRIDE Act that would require FDA enforcement action to provide honest nutritional labelling for consumers.”

“Idaho’s dairy producers and consumers alike suffer when non-dairy products are labeled and treated as dairy products. The fact is that nondairy products do not have the same nutritional benefits as real dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese. FDA permitting dairy imitators’ use of dairy terms for product packaging and labelling is misleading and must be corrected,” said Rick Naerebout, CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association.

“The National Milk Producers Federation applauds the bipartisan members of the House of Representatives who today reintroduced the DAIRY PRIDE Act, which adds momentum to legislation that saw Senate reintroduction last week and needs to pass Congress this year,” said Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. “With proposed FDA guidance that acknowledges the problem of consumer confusion over the nutritional content of plant-based beverages, but doesn’t go far enough to solve the problem by enforcing its own standards of identity and limiting dairy terms used in food labeling to dairy products, DAIRY PRIDE is necessary for FDA to fulfill its own responsibilities. To eliminate consumer confusion over their nutritional content, plant-based drinks or beverages shouldn’t be allowed to use dairy terms in their labeling. That’s common sense, and DAIRY PRIDE is a common-sense solution. We thank the House sponsors of the legislation – Reps. John Joyce, R-PA; Ann Kuster, D-NH; Mike Simpson, R-ID; Joe Courtney, D-CT; Derrick Van Orden, R-WI; and Angie Craig, D-MN – for being champions for consumers in this important nutrition and health issue.”

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