Do people understand the differences between milk and soy and rice "milk"?
That's what the Food and Drug Administration is asking as it considers whether soy and other non-dairy products can keep calling themselves "milk." Right now, federal standards define milk as coming from a cow.
The call for comments, being published Thursday , comes after FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb signaled in July the agency might start going after non-dairy drinks that call themselves milk. The dairy industry for years has called for just such a crackdown.
Milk is one of a range of foods that have federal standards, which are supposed to ensure the quality of products on supermarket shelves.
Some makers of plant-based drinks say the standards are outdated and are used to fend off competition.
