Dairy Beloved: Why Indiana Should Stop Labeling Plant-Based Beverages as "Milk"

Abstract

While waiting in line at your favorite local coffee shop, you hear a barista yell out “I have a medium iced, sugar-free vanilla latte with soy milk for Megan!” Shortly after, you overhear the man in front of you order a “large hot chocolate with coconut milk, hold the whipped cream.” All the while, you are scanning the menu on the wall, debating whether you want almond or oat “milk” in the caramel macchiato you are about to order. Despite the differences between these drinks, they all have one thing in common – none of them are milk. The market of non-dairy alternatives in the grocery store or at the local coffee shop seems to be growing by the day. Beyond the traditional nonfat and whole milk options that have been around for decades, beverages made out of soy, almonds, rice, cashews, coconut, oats, hemp, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, flax, peanuts, tiger nuts, walnuts, spelt, quinoa, and even peas, line the shelves of supermarkets across the world. If a shopper does not know what they are looking for, it is easy to see how confusing the milk market has become. To add to the issue, these non-dairy alternatives are more often than not found in the same type of carton or bottle as traditional cow’s milk and are sometimes even on the same shelves. If a buyer is uninformed about what a product touting the label “almond milk” really means, he may not realize the vast differences that exist between what he is about to buy and what he is probably expecting. These differences include taste, smell, color, overall flavor, consistency, functional properties, and even shelf life. The most impactful, and potentially detrimental, difference is the