New House Appropriations Measure Contains NMPF-Backed Dairy Labeling Provision
August 4, 2017
In addition to meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month to urge action against mislabeled imitation dairy products, NMPF has continued its efforts on Capitol Hill to bring pressure against the agency to enforce existing food labeling regulations. The congressional effort gained additional momentum last month with the adoption of a provision calling on the FDA to take prompt action.
On July 12, the House Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year 2018 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which featured a provision specifying that FDA must enforce federal standards on the use of dairy terms. The inclusion of this language is another success in NMPF’s fight to protect dairy’s good name, and ensure that imitators cannot use terms like “milk,” “cheese,” “yogurt” and “butter.” The appropriations process must conclude by the beginning of October – the start of fiscal year 2018 – and NMPF will continue to work to ensure that this provision is included in any “must-pass” legislative package.
At the same time, NMPF continues to build support for the DAIRY PRIDE Act (S.130/H. R.778), the bicameral, bipartisan legislation introduced by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) that would require FDA to enforce existing standards on the labeling of products that use dairy-related terms.
NMPF continues to encourage the farmers to contact their elected officials through its Dairy GREAT Action Center and urge support for the DAIRY PRIDE Act.
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