WCMA
Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) is applauding U.S. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) as she reintroduced the DAIRY PRIDE Act, requiring products made from nuts, seeds, plants, and algae to no longer be mislabeled with dairy terms such as milk, cheese or yogurt.
Current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards define dairy products as being made from the milk of dairy animals, but the agency has not enforced its own regulation, enabling a rapid rise in the mislabeling of plant-based imitation dairy products.
“Americans deserve clear, truthful labels as they choose the foods they buy and serve to their families,” said John Umhoefer, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association Executive Director. “We are grateful for Sen. Baldwin’s work to ensure greater transparency in the marketplace.”
Lots of milk and lots of competition
John Oncken
Wisconsin set another state record for total milk production in 2020, despite having fewer cows. The latest production figures from the USDA show that Wisconsin farmers produced 30.7 billion pounds of milk in 2020, slightly more than the previous record of 30.6 billion pounds set in 2019. Milk per cow rose to an all-time high of 24,408 pounds, up 256 pounds from the year earlier. As of January 1, there were 6,932 licensed milking herds in the state – down 360 from a year ago.
Note: California remains as the number one milk producing state with over 40.7 billion pounds produced last year. The state surpassed Wisconsin in 1993 as the leading milk production state and has remained in that position ever since.