Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 11 May 2017
Mayo, wings, butter: ‘Fake milk’ is the latest food fight

CANDICE CHOI
AP Food Industry Writer association’s members, FDA. Gudmundson said he
NEW YORK (AP) — Is “fake had sued Just Mayo’s mak- reached out to the agen-
milk” spoiling the dairy in- er citing the same issue. cy afterward, but nothing
dustry’s image? That lawsuit was dropped came of it.
Dairy producers are calling after the company faced Yoplait Greek’s maker,
for a crackdown on the al- blowback from the vegan General Mills, says it has
mond, soy and rice “milks” spread’s supporters. since made recipe chang-
they say are masquerad- The dressings and sauces es to its yogurts and it no
ing as the real thing and group wasn’t the only one longer uses milk protein
cloud the meaning of milk. upset by Just Mayo’s name. concentrate in Yoplait
A group that advocates The CEO of the American Greek. The company had
for plant-based products, Egg Board, which repre- also noted in legal filings
the Good Food Institute, sents the egg industry, also that the FDA said during
countered this week by tried unsuccessfully to get a seminar that milk pro-
asking the Food and Drug a consultant to stop the tein concentrate could be
Administration to say terms sale of Just Mayo at Whole used in yogurt.
such as “milk” and “sau- Foods. In 2002, the presence of
sage” can be used as The revelations led to an milk protein concentrate
long as they’re modified to investigation by the U.S. in Kraft Singles was also
make clear what’s in them. Department of Agriculture. called out in a warning
It’s the latest dispute about Soon after, the egg indus- letter from the FDA, which
what makes a food au- try group’s CEO retired ear- noted it was not listed as
thentic, many of them lier than expected. an ingredient in the defini-
stemming from develop- As for Just Mayo, the tion for “pasteurized pro-
ments in manufacturing This photo provided by Nestle USA shows a package containing company worked out an cess cheese food.” Kraft
practices and specialized DiGiorno pizza and boneless Wyngz. agreement with the FDA to now labels the Singles as
diets. Associated Press keep its name — with some a “pasteurized prepared
DiGiorno’s frozen chicken strategic tweaks to its label cheese product.”
WYNGZ, NOT WINGS
to make clear it does not
Those products often refer contain eggs. “Wyngz” scored a high-
to themselves as “soymilk” STRAINING FOR YOGURT profile TV appearance
or “almondmilk,” single It was a milk protein con- not long after DiGiorno
words that the dairy in- centrate at issue in a law- launched frozen meals
dustry says is a way to get suit over Yoplait Greek. with pizza and the bone-
around the guidelines for That ingredient isn’t listed less chicken pieces in 2011.
“milk.” in the FDA’s standard of “The Colbert Show” called
The Plant Based Foods As- identity for yogurt. What’s the spelling out as a “gov-
sociation, which represents more, the suit said General ernment-mandated” way
companies like Tofurky
and milk alternatives, says
standards of identity were
created to prevent com-
panies from passing off
cheaper ingredients on
customers. But the group
This Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, photo shows Yoplait Greek yogurt says that’s not what soy, al-
on display at a supermarket in Port Chester, N.Y. mond and rice milk makers
Associated Press
are trying to do.
Those companies are
“wyngz” were fodder for is obtained by the “com- charging more money,
comedian Stephen Col- plete milking of one or and consumers are gravi-
bert. An eggless spread more healthy cows.” That’s tating toward them, said
provoked the ire of egg a point the dairy industry is Michele Simon, the group’s
producers by calling itself now emphasizing, with the executive director.
“mayo.” And as far back support of lawmakers who The FDA says it takes ac-
as the 1880s, margarine last month introduced leg- tion “in accordance with This Feb. 4, 2015, file photo, shows Hampton Creek Foods bottles
of Just Mayo flavors at their office in San Francisco.
was dismissed as “counter- islation calling for the FDA public health priorities and Associated Press
feit butter” by a Wisconsin to enforce the guidelines. agency resources.”
lawmaker. “Mammals produce milk, EDIBLE, BUT EGGLESS Mills relied on the ingredi- to get around the fact
The U.S. actually spells out plants don’t,” said Jim Mul- The little-known Associa- ent to thicken its yogurt, that they’re not made of
the required characteristics hern, president of the Na- tion for Dressing and Sauc- rather than straining it the wing meat. Colbert cited
for a range of products such tional Milk Producers Fed- es showed its might in a way other Greek yogurts a page on the USDA’s
as French dressing, canned eration. 2014 mayonnaise melee. are made. website that said the odd
peas and raisin bread. It’s The federation says it has The group repeatedly com- “Not only was it not Greek spelling could be used for
these federal standards of been trying to get the FDA plained to the FDA that an yogurt, it wasn’t yogurt at a product that is “in the
identity that often trigger to enforce the standard eggless spread was call- all,” said Brian Gudmund- shape of a wing or a bite-
the food fights. since at least 2000 , and ing itself Just Mayo, noting son, the Minnesota lawyer size appetizer type prod-
COW, NUT, BEAN that the lack of enforce- that under the federal rules who filed the suit. uct,” but not made entirely
Though soy milk and al- ment has led to a prolif- mayonnaise is defined as The case was ultimately from wing meat.
mond milk have become eration of imitators playing having eggs. dismissed by the judge, “No other misspellings are
commonplace terms, milk’s “fast and loose” with dairy Hellmann’s mayonnaise who said the matter would permitted,” the website
standard of identity says it terms. maker Unilever, one of the be better handled by the says.q