To: Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg., FDA Comissioner
Keep artificial sweeteners out of milk and other 17 dairy products
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) have filed a petition requesting that the Agency amend the standard of identity for milk and 17 other dairy products to provide for the use of any safe and suitable sweetener as an optional ingredient. See the FDA petition for comments here http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FDA-2009-P-0147-0012).
Children are a key market for the milk industry, which has struggled for decades with declining milk consumption.They are the largest consumers of milk sweetened with chocolate, vanilla or another flavoring. Most of those drinks are currently sweetened with sugar, making them more caloric. The milk industry argues that if they could reduce the labeling hurdles the FDA mandates, it would be easier to offer lower-calorie chocolate milk at stores and in schools. That, they say, would help fight childhood obesity. This would however come at the cost of giving almost free reign to dairy companies to introduce artificial sweeteners into children's milk and other dairy products, as well as the general public.
We live in a country with an ever increasing amount of processed foods and artificial ingredients filling our refrigerators and pantries. Milk and other dairy products are some of the very few that remain relatively "natural". Please join me in signing this petition to the FDA if you believe they should stay that way. Say NO to changing the labeling standards for artificial sweeteners. Say NO to paving the way for artificial sweeteners to make it into your dairy consumption!!!
Children are a key market for the milk industry, which has struggled for decades with declining milk consumption.They are the largest consumers of milk sweetened with chocolate, vanilla or another flavoring. Most of those drinks are currently sweetened with sugar, making them more caloric. The milk industry argues that if they could reduce the labeling hurdles the FDA mandates, it would be easier to offer lower-calorie chocolate milk at stores and in schools. That, they say, would help fight childhood obesity. This would however come at the cost of giving almost free reign to dairy companies to introduce artificial sweeteners into children's milk and other dairy products, as well as the general public.
We live in a country with an ever increasing amount of processed foods and artificial ingredients filling our refrigerators and pantries. Milk and other dairy products are some of the very few that remain relatively "natural". Please join me in signing this petition to the FDA if you believe they should stay that way. Say NO to changing the labeling standards for artificial sweeteners. Say NO to paving the way for artificial sweeteners to make it into your dairy consumption!!!
Why is this important?
Two milk trade groups are asking the FDA for greater flexibility in how they inform consumers when artificial sweeteners are added to kid-friendly products such as chocolate milk. They argue that the required, prominent low-calorie labels are not attractive to children. Say NO to paving the way for artificial sweeteners to make it into your child's dairy consumption!!!