Topic Tuesday: Banning Milk

Milk Definition

Not the (bovine) cow’s milk, but the plant-based ones from using the term “milk”. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering cracking down on plant-based milks for using the term “milk”.  Entities such as FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb stated at one point, that almond milk should not be called milk because “an almond doesn’t lactate.”  WHAT 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️!
I made sure I posted the definitions of “milk”. One of the definitions of milk is “the white juice of certain plants.” So almond, coconut, and soy would technically be considered milk. Many who oppose plant-base milks have made claims that using the term milk is “misleading” to consumers and that plant-based milk doesn’t have the same nutrients as cow’s milk. Another reason some oppose it is because they have invested into these dairy corporations and are noticing that sales have dropped. During 2012 and 2017, plant-based milk sales inclined 60%. During that same period, (bovine) cow milk sales declined by 15%.

Milk is a huge part of the American culture, dairy in general. Due to all the commercials on TV advertising milk as a product needed for its calcium and other nutrients, and because milk is in most of the products we consume (cheese, ice cream, cookies), we never really questioned if milk was really good for us. We just automatically believed it was. As we continue to grow consciously and have access to the internet to obtain knowledge on just about anything, Americans are starting to view milk differently.
Milk was always labeled as a needed source of calcium, protein and other essential nutrients, but recent studies and speculation begs to differ.
According to an article by Dennis Thompson, women who drank 3 or more glasses of (bovine) milk a day, had a higher risk of death and cardiovascular disease, and a 40% increased chance of cancer.

Looks like we have to ask some more questions when it comes to milk.