SUMMARY: Consumer Reports (CR) submits comments to the Food and Drug Administration on the use of the names of dairy foods in the labeling of plant-based products. These comments include the results of a nationally representative survey of over 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by CR in October 2018 that probed consumers’ understanding of plant-based milks. The results raise some important concerns, including that approximately half of all American consumers (52%) lack an accurate understanding about the nutrients in plant-based milks, believing that these milks have the same or higher levels of nutrients as cow’s milk, when in most cases this is not correct. Misunderstandings are even more prevalent among consumers who always or often purchased plant-based milk, compared to those who purchased cow’s milk. We urge the FDA to consider labeling options that will lead to consumers being better informed about the nutritional content of plant milks, compared to cow’s milk.
Read the full comments here.
Read the public report here.