Butter Labeling Wars: Wisconsin Dairy Industry Takes On Plant-based “Butter”

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Originally appeared in New Hope’s IdeaXchange, July 2019
By Steven Hoffman

Until recently, the U.S. dairy industry remained relatively quiet regarding the proliferation of plant-based products that use words such as “milk,” “yogurt” and “cheese. Now, lobbyists and policymakers for dairy producers in Wisconsin, the nation’s leading producer of butter made from cow’s milk and the state that calls itself “America’s Dairyland,” want to limit use of the word on plant-based products, such as the best-selling vegan “butter” sold by Miyoko’s Kitchen, reported Bloomberg News.  

This past spring, Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) instructed supermarkets to remove nondairy products that use the term “butter” on labels, based on complaints from dairy producers that these products don’t comply with the state’s definition of butter, which requires that butter be made from dairy-based milk or cream. After being singled out and pulled from several stores, Miyoko’s agreed to affix a sticker to the label that read “vegetable spread.”

Companies such as Miyoko’s are riding a wave of popularity for plant-based products, especially dairy alternatives, reports Fortune. Plant-based milk retail sales totaled $1.8 billion for the year ending May 25, 2019, a 6.5% increase, according to data shared from Nielsen. Cheese substitute sales totaled $117 million, showing 17.4% growth. Cashew butters were up to $12.6 million, representing an increase of 4.9%, Fortune reported.

Changing consumer preferences toward plant-based foods are often cited as a chief cause of dairy’s slow decline, however, vegan products using labels such as “milk” – or in this case, “butter” – are seen by the milk lobby as misleading consumers to unfairly steal market share.

An official at DATCP said the agency is not planning to enforce labeling laws on other dairy products, such as “milk,” however, it will follow the FDA’s lead in this regard. Regarding butter, however, “It’s been an important product.” Wisconsin products more than one third of all butter sold in the U.S., Fortune reported.

FDA, for its part, may seek to restrict use of such traditional dairy terms by plant-based food producers. As part of its Nutrition Innovation Strategy, FDA announced it is modernizing standards of identity, which “define through regulation certain characteristics, ingredients, and quality of specific foods,” said an agency statement from Scott Gottlieb, who served as FDA commissioner at the time of the strategy’s launch. However, a review commissioned by the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) reported that 76% of people who commented to the FDA were in favor of allowing plant-based products to continue using dairy terminology. 

“The entire debate over the use of the term milk and other dairy terms on plant-based foods and beverages is a solution in search of a problem,” Good Karma Foods CEO Doug Radi told Food Navigator USA in January 2019. “Plant-based foods that can directly replace dairy-based products make use of the same terminology (e.g. milk, butter, cheese) because they serve the same purposes and are used in almost exactly the same way as their dairy counterparts (in cereal, a glass, smoothies, coffee, etc.) Consumers understand words in context,” he said. “Consumers think these words represent proper descriptors for the products and do not believe we are trying to pass off our products as a dairy product. In fact, we would not be successfully doing so, as consumers buying our products are looking for alternatives to dairy,” Radi added.

Hemp Never Tasted So Good! Seed Taken to New Heights

For Immediate Release:

Contact:
Donna Ratner, Tempt, 888.417.9343, donna@healthybrandsco.com
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, 303.807.1042, steve@compassnatural.com

Hemp Never Tasted So Good! Hemp Milk Meets Coconut Cream + 2 Pioneering Products Take the Seed to New Heights

Tempt introduces coconut-hemp milk blend, hemp milk yogurt and hemp tofu “hempfu,” all soy free and Non-GMO Project Verified at Natural Products Expo West. 

Norwalk, CT (March 3, 2016) – Tempt offers a few more reasons to believe hemp truly is a miracle food. In addition to non-dairy milk, the innovative company adds two hemp-featuring line extensions and a new hemp-coconut milk blend all rich in omegas, protein and flavor. As with all Tempt products, the new SKUs are 100-percent plant based, 100-percent soy free, carrageenan free, gluten free, certified Kosher and Non-GMO Project Verified. 

“Our mission is to promote healthy, holistic living,” said Donna Ratner, COO, CMO and co-owner of Tempt. “For us, that means being free of common allergens including soy which is often hard to avoid when looking for non-dairy alternatives. We’re here to make eating well easy.” 

Coconut Cream + Hemp Milk = Yes, Please

Rich coconut cream combines with nutritious hemp milk to make the best non-dairy beverage even better. Tempt Coconut Hemp Milk is loaded with vitamins, minerals and all essential amino acids, omega 3s and medium chain fatty acids (MCFA’s), which support brain health. Look for Tempt Coconut Hemp Milk in gable cartons in the refrigerated section. Available in Original and Unsweetened flavors.

Don’t forget about the hemp milks that started it all! Tempt Hemp Milk is available in shelf-stable tetrapaks in 5 flavors: Original, Unsweetened Original, Vanilla, Unsweetened Vanilla and Chocolate. 

Introducing Tempt Hemp Yogurt

Your taste buds won’t believe Tempt’s Hemp Yogurt is 100-percent dairy free. This lower-in-sugar dairy alternative contains essential amino acids, live probiotic cultures to promote digestive health,and all the creamy, tangy richness of full dairy options. 

“We’re excited! After test marketing last year, the flavor and texture has continued to improve. We’re confident that yogurt lovers and the dairy-free crowd alike will swoon for this first-of-its-kind non-dairy alternative. It’s just that good,” Ratner said. 

Stock up on all 4 classic flavors: Original, Blueberry, Strawberry and Raspberry. 

Never Tried Hempfu?

Tempt Hemp Tofu is 100 percent soy free and the first alternative to traditional tofu. “Hempfu” comes extra firm with a meaty consistency similar to a vegan steak. Convenient and delicious, two-serving packages make a nutritionally dense meal in under 10 minutes and deliver a whopping 30 grams of plant protein per serving. Available in 4 flavors: Original, Chorizo, Chile Lime, Chimichurri.

Celebrity Vegan Chef, Jason Wroble, cookbook author and host of the J-Wro Show on the Cooking Channel shares his quick and easy Tempt Hemp Tofu recipe: Soy-Free Tofu Scramble.

Come Try For Yourself
Coconut Hemp Milk, Hemp Yogurt, and Hemp Tofu (paired with Lisa’s Kitchen’s organic frozen vegetable meals) will be sampled at Natural Products Expo West. Visit Tempt in Booth # 4639.

About Tempt
Tempt is part of Healthy Brands Co., a collective of brands established in 2010 by Dan Ratner, former GE Capital executive, and Donna Ratner, one of the founding pioneers of MTV, devoted to promoting holistic living. “This company came out of our dedication and how we raised our 3 children. It’s an extension of who we already were. It was time we talk the talk and not just walk the walk,” Donna says. Donna is also a certified nutrition counselor through Columbia Teachers College and Integrative Nutrition. HBC includes a portfolio of 10 natural and organic brands including: Tempt, European Gourmet Bakery, Cherrybrook Kitchen, High County Kombucha and Lisa's Kitchen.