NMPF Applauds Sen. Baldwin for Pressure on FDA Dairy Labeling Enforcement

NMPF was pleased to support Senator Tammy Baldwin’s (D-WI) efforts to bring attention to the need for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforcement of dairy standards of identity at the confirmation hearing of Dr. Robert Califf to become the next commissioner of FDA.

NMPF has long partnered with Sen. Baldwin on the issue, with the Senate committee hearing on Dec. 14 serving as the latest opportunity to bring critical attention to the agency’s lack of enforcement.

After speaking to the importance of dairy standards of identity, Sen. Baldwin asked Dr. Califf whether and when the FDA will begin enforcing its own labeling standards. Dr. Califf responded that he would make the issue a priority should he be confirmed as FDA commissioner, stating there is “almost nothing more fundamental about safety than people understanding exactly what they’re ingesting, so I am committed to making this a priority if I am confirmed.”

NMPF president and CEO Jim Mulhern thanked Sen. Baldwin for pressing Dr. Califf for “urgent action” on the issue, explaining that the issue “needs to be a top-of-mind issue for Dr. Califf” as the “ground has shifted since his previous tenure in the Obama administration, both as dairy imitators proliferate and the abuse of lax labeling enforcement creates nutritional confusion for consumers.”

NMPF has been advocating for the enforcement of standards of identity and integrity in the marketplace for four decades. The recent, long overdue FDA attention to the issue – including a pledge to provide guidance on enforcement in the coming months – provides an opportunity to lead to key progress toward enforcement. NMPF will continue to work with Sen. Baldwin, other members of Congress, and administration officials on the issue, now with Dr. Califf’s positive comments in hand.

NMPF Thanks Sen. Baldwin for Prodding FDA Nominee Califf on Dairy Labeling

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) thanked Senator Tammy Baldwin for her continued advocacy for accurate labeling and public health in her questions for Dr. Robert Califf during today’s hearing on his nomination to be commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“Labeling integrity needs to be a top-of-mind issue for Dr. Califf as he moves toward his second stint as FDA commissioner. The ground has shifted since his previous tenure in the Obama administration, both as dairy imitators proliferate and the abuse of lax labeling enforcement creates nutritional confusion for consumers,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “FDA has pledged to offer guidance on this issue within months. Given this, we thank Senator Baldwin for pressing for urgent action today in her questioning.”

In response to a question from Sen. Baldwin, D-WI, asking him whether and when the FDA will begin enforcing its own labeling standards, Dr. Califf said he would make the issue a priority should he be confirmed as FDA commissioner.

There is “almost nothing more fundamental about safety than people understanding exactly what they’re ingesting, so I am committed to making this a priority if I am confirmed,” Dr. Califf said. Video of the exchange with Sen. Baldwin is here.

The National Milk Producers Federation has been speaking out on FDA’s lack of enforcing its own rules against mislabeled plant-based imitators for four decades and is encouraged by recent, long overdue FDA attention to the issue. For more background on NMPF’s position and statements of support from public-health organizations, click here. An NMPF “road map” outlines how the agency can adapt existing standards to reflect the current marketplace and protect labeling integrity. The organization has also repeatedly called on the FDA’s ombudsman to look into the agency’s lack of enforcement of current rules on product labeling for dairy labels and alternatives.