To: Margaret Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration
Tell the FDA: No Unlabeled Sweetener in Dairy!
Dear Dr. Hamburg,
I am writing to urge you to deny the petition filed on behalf of the International Dairy Foods Association which would allow "any safe and suitable sweetener" to be added to dairy products.
We consumers have a right to know what is in our food so that we can make our own decisions for our families and ourselves. I believe that sweetener, artificial or natural, should be labeled as an ingredient. Many people are sensitive to artificial sweeteners; many simply wish to not consume them.
Please uphold your duty to protect and promote OUR health. We deserve to have the knowledge we need to decide what we want to feed our children.
I am writing to urge you to deny the petition filed on behalf of the International Dairy Foods Association which would allow "any safe and suitable sweetener" to be added to dairy products.
We consumers have a right to know what is in our food so that we can make our own decisions for our families and ourselves. I believe that sweetener, artificial or natural, should be labeled as an ingredient. Many people are sensitive to artificial sweeteners; many simply wish to not consume them.
Please uphold your duty to protect and promote OUR health. We deserve to have the knowledge we need to decide what we want to feed our children.
Why is this important?
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), have filed a petition with the FDA to alter the definition of "milk". They are seeking to change the definition such that it will include potentially dangerous chemical sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose, without the need to list such ingredients on the label. This means that if the petition is approved, when a company lists "milk" on the label, it will automatically include chemical sweeteners such as aspartame or sucralose without being specifically listed. Accordingly, if you are among the millions of Americans who choose to avoid such chemical sweeteners because they are potentially dangerous to your health, then you may be unable to do so because they will not be listed on milk labels. -- Paul A. Lauto, Esq.