Friday, March 1, 2019
CapitalPress.com
Dairy petition outlines labeling
solution for non-dairy imitators
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
National Milk Producers Feder-
ation has submitted a citizen peti-
tion to the Food and Drug Admin-
istration outlining how and why
the agency should use its exist-
ing regulations to guide the use
of dairy terms for plant-based
products.
The petition is a roadmap for
the next step the FDA should take
in ending the violation of its stan-
dard of identity rules in the labeling
of plant-based dairy alternatives,
Alan Bjerga, NMPF senior vice
president of communications, said
in a conference call on the issue.
For years, drinks made from
soybeans and other plant materials
have been labeled “milk.”
NMPF has been vocal about the
problem for decades regardless of
food-consumption trends or food
fads, he said.
“What’s different now is the
FDA’s serious engagement on the
issue,” he said.
The agency recently closed
a public comment period on the
matter, drawing more than 13,000
comments.
Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press File
Soy milk and almond milk are
two of the several hundred
plant-based products labeled
and marketed using dairy
terms. Dairymen have sought
enforcement action FDA labeling
rules.
“The public interest in this issue
alone, to us, illustrates further that
the FDA needs to act,” he said.
There is anecdotal and sur-
vey evidence of consumer confu-
sion over the nutritional content of
dairy alternatives and concerns of
adverse health effects in children as
outlined by the American Academy
of Pediatrics and others, he said.
The petition “is meant to both
aid and encourage the FDA to find a
practical solution to the dairy label-
ing problem, one that is grounded
in current law and addresses con-
temporary concerns,” he said.
FDA’s call for comment pro-
vided NMPF with another chance
to explain the compelling need
to provide resolution to the issue,
Tom Balmer, NMPF executive vice
president, said.
“We believe a comprehensive
fix has been available all along. But
FDA’s decades-long inaction has
allowed marketplace chaos to grow
exponentially,” he said.
NMPF has publicly stated many
times that it is not trying to keep
dairy imitators out of the market-
place but insists that those food
products follow the law, he said.
“We believe it’s possible to
use existing regulations and with
some modification produce com-
mon-sense labeling that will pro-
vide everyone with truthful, trans-
parent and reasonable options,” he
said.
For non-dairy foods using stan-
dardized dairy terms but are nutri-
Company
to build
large milk
processing
facility
tionally inferior to the dairy foods
they reference, NMPF is urging
FDA to immediately enforce exist-
ing imitation labeling regulations.
An imitation food could avoid
being labeled as such simply by not
using any standardized dairy term.
It could also avoid the imitation
labeling by stating on the label that
it is inferior to the referenced prod-
uct, he said.
For non-dairy substitutes that are
not inferior to the referenced prod-
uct, NMPF is urging FDA to imme-
diately enforce existing rules that
the product be labeled as a substi-
tute or an alternative, such as “non-
dairy yogurt.”
The petition also addresses the
issue of plant-based companies’
First Amendment rights in using
dairy terms, citing relevant case
law that supports FDA enforcement
of existing regulations based on the
federal government’s interest in
consumer health and market-based
transparency.
“It’s important to note our
approach does not advocate for
any so-called ban. It simply relies
on proper disclosure that allows for
appropriate, truthful, non-mislead-
ing messaging,” Balmer said.
Capital Press
Gem State Dairy Prod-
ucts, LLC, on Monday
announced plans to estab-
lish one of the largest asep-
tic milk processing plants
in the U.S. to produce
shelf-stable milk products.
The new facility is set
to break ground in Twin
Falls, Idaho, providing new
opportunities for Idaho’s
dairy industry and creating
more than 100 milk-pro-
cessing jobs by the end of
2020, according to a press
release from the company.
Construction of the
200,000-square-foot plant is
expected to begin this sum-
mer, and the company antic-
ipates processing to begin in
the summer of 2020.
The vertically integrated
bottling facility will be one
of the newest and largest
aseptic processing facilities
in the country, Tom Mike-
sell, the company’s spokes-
person, said in the press
release.
“The
state-of-the-art
facility will utilize the most
current technology avail-
able to the market. That
will allow Gem State to
provide its customers with
high-quality and lower-cost
alternatives for milk and
dairy-based beverages,” he
said.
Mikesell, a local real
estate agent, told Capi-
tal Press he sold the com-
pany the 76 acres it pur-
chased to build the plant and
was asked to be the compa-
ny’s temporary public rela-
tions person. Beyond that,
he isn’t privy to other infor-
mation about the company,
including the names of its
owners.
Idaho Farm Bureau commits $100,000 to CAFE
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
The Idaho Farm Bureau
Federation announced on
Thursday that it will con-
tribute $100,000 to the Uni-
versity of Idaho’s Center for
Agriculture, Food and the
Environment (CAFE).
The commitment fol-
lowed quickly on the heels
of the Idaho State Board of
Education’s approval of the
university’s purchase of land
in Rupert to build a research
dairy that will serve as the
foundation of the CAFE
project.
The university and Idaho
Dairymen’s Association are
jointly purchasing an initial
Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press
University of Idaho officials say they have bought the
“perfect” site for a research dairy. The Idaho Farm
Bureau Federation has pledged $100,000 to the
project.
540 acres for the research
dairy for $4.5 million.
The research dairy is set
to be the largest in the coun-
try and the only one address-
ing milk production in an
arid climate. The research
will focus on environmental
issues, including water qual-
ity and efficiency, nutrient
management and soil health.
The broader $45 million
CAFE project will also have
a strong outreach and educa-
tion component, as well as
a food processing compo-
nent to reinforce vocational
training to support regional
processing.
“This CAFE project is
going to be an incredible
center, and the university’s
vision for it is exciting,”
Bryan Searle, IFBF presi-
dent said in a press release
announcing the organiza-
tion’s financial pledge.
“It’s a privilege for Idaho
Farm Bureau to be a part of
it,” he said.
CAFE is projected to
be the largest integrated
9
research facility focused on
dairy and allied industry in
the U.S. and will enhance
a national and international
reputation that will reflect
the size, quality and impor-
tance of the industry it rep-
resents, he said in a letter of
support for the project.
CAFE will “strengthen
Idaho’s position on the map
as a center for agricultural
and food innovation and
technology,” he said
Idaho Farm Bureau
“recognizes the impact
CAFE will have across our
entire agricultural industry
and the value that will pro-
vide to our members and
all Idaho producers,” he
said.
Prices looking for direction
By LEE MIELKE
For the Capital Press
D
airy prices were
mixed in the short-
ened
President’s
Day holiday week. Cheddar
block cheese closed Friday
at $1.5950 per pound, up
1 1/2-cents on the week and
10 cents above a year ago.
The barrels saw a Fri-
day close at $1.4050, 3
cents lower on the week and
5 1/2-cents below a year
ago. 3 cars of block traded
hands last week at the CME
and 23 of barrel.
Monday’s block price
inched a quarter-cent higher,
then added a penny and a
quarter Tuesday, hitting
$1.61, highest CME price
since Oct. 16.
The barrels were up
a half-cent Monday and
stayed there Tuesday at
$1.41, an unsustainable 20
cents below the blocks.
Dairy Market News says
pizza cheesemakers report
sales were a little ahead of
expectations while curd and
barrel cheese producers are
DAIRY
MARKETS
Lee
Mielke
hopeful for some summer
demand increases before
production increases will be
scheduled.
Milk remains plentiful
and nearly all Class III spot
loads were reported at flat to
$2 under Class. Rural area
cheesemakers remain con-
cerned about smaller farms
staying in business, stating
that closures are not a matter
of if, but when, for a grow-
ing number of sub-100 cow
herds.
Western
cheesemak-
ers report strong domestic
demand and in select inter-
national markets. Others
say cheese interest is ade-
quate but not great. There
is plenty of milk to be made
into cheese and vats are run-
ning at or near full capacity.
Stocks are heavy so man-
ufacturers do not want to
build inventory, according
to DMN.
Cash butter closed Fri-
day at $2.26 per pound, up
a penny on the week and 8
3/4- cents above a year ago,
with 26 cars sold last week.
Monday’s spot price was
up three-quarters but it gave
back a quarter-cent Tuesday,
slipping to $2.2650.
Butter analysts con-
tinue to point out the range-
bound nature of the market
since, and throughout much
of, 2018. Demand is steady,
while production continues
actively to pack away inven-
tories. Cream supplies are
plentiful, reports DMN.
Western butter output
is solid despite the cold
weather. Milkfats and other
milk components have
decreased in the affected
zones but cream is still read-
ily available. Bulk butter
stocks continue to build but
are not overwhelming.
Grade A nonfat dry milk
closed Friday at 99 3/4-cents
per pound, up a penny on
the week and 32 1/2-cents
above a year ago with only 4
cars sold on the week.
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Farming Better Through Partnership
A CHANGING HANDS STORY
By Ashley Rood,
Rogue Farm Corps
father to daughter through
partnership.
“We are constantly asking
ourselves—how can we do
our best?” says Jana
McClelland. Constant
evolution, learning, and care
for the land are at the heart of
success for McClelland Dairy.
It is reflected in daily
operations, as well as the
transition of the farm from
Jana is the third generation of
McClellands farming in
Sonoma County, California—
her Dad’s parents bought the
farm in the 1960s. Today,
Jana runs the farm in close
partnership with her parents,
George and Dora. Jana takes
the lead on milking and
managing the cows, and
new perspectives.”
greenhouse gas emissions.
As Jessica Luhning, Organic
Valley sustainability
manager, says, “We see
firsthand the benefits carbon
farming brings to soil health,
water quality and quantity,
on-farm biodiversity and
long-term farm viability.
Organic livestock farmers
are natural leaders in the
carbon farming movement
and believe in being part of
the solution.”
As Jana says, “We all need to
do our part for the planet.
They don’t make any more
land, and if you take care of
it, it takes care of you.”
More of this story online.
For resources on farm transfer visit: https://www.roguefarmcorps.org/resources
9-2/103
George, Dora and Jana McClelland
Photo Credit : ©David Nevala for Organic Valley
Cooperative. “We really
started seeing that healthier
Her parents transition started soil meant healthier cows,”
with increasing cow numbers says Jana.
so there were options for
“Farmers love the land, it’s
both Jana and her brother.
Jana’s brother got set up with time to quantify the benefits
they provide,” Jana says.
his own ranch nearby. And
These benefits are starting to
they worked with a family
be recognized through
planner, an attorney and an
California’s Healthy Soils
Jana knew she wanted to go accountant to set up a plan.
Jana recommends, “Put it all Initiative. Working with
back to the farm since high
on paper—even if you talk a Organic Valley, the
school, when she did a
McClellands received funds
lot, there’s a difference to
Future Farmers of America
from the program for new
project on creek restoration. putting it down.”
creek restoration plantings
When Jana returned home
Jana’s family knows that a
and compost application on
from Cal Poly, she jumped
successful future for the farm pastures. These are
right in, “No break! Not even
is about more than the plans considered “carbon farming”
one day,” says Jana. Looking
on paper—it is about caring
practices, because they
back, she would consider
for the land. In 2011, they
increase carbon storage in
working someplace else
joined Organic Valley
the soil and reduce
before coming back to the
farm, Jana says, “to gain
team management. While
George leads on the silage,
pasture management and
compost. Jana says, “my
parents are not ready to
retire, this is a good thing. I
am forever learning more
from them and we balance
each other out.”