Milk comes from dairy cows not plants

Dairy farmers and their families are grateful for the ongoing strong support of Australian consumers for fresh nutritious milk, which is a staple of their food basket.

This is demonstrated by the continuing demand for fresh milk by supermarket customers.

Dairy Australia's Human Health and Nutrition Policy Manager, Melissa Cameron, in her recent presentation to the eastAUSmilk Annual Forum, indicated that 98% of households continue to regularly purchase milk.

She went on to say that 82% of households also agree that it's important to support the Aussie dairy industry.

Indeed, dairy milk provides 9 nutrients essential to human health.

Milk also contains other nutrients including B vitamins for energy, vitamin A to help maintain a healthy immune system and calcium and vitamin D, both of which work to build bone strength.

It is for these reasons that our peak advocacy body Australian Dairy Farmers (supported by the State Dairy Organisations and based on the empirical data and evidence provided by Dairy Australia) advocates for the importance of 'truth in labelling' in dairy produce.

Iconic dairy terms such as ‘milk’ should be safeguarded from misuse.  This is especially so with the increasing acceptance of plant-based drinks as a 'milk substitute'.

Non-dairy alternatives generally had filtered water added to their plant base and were fortified with calcium and a range of other minerals and vitamins.

In some cases, key minerals and vitamins were not naturally present in these plant-sourced drinks. Nutrients were added to these products to try to mimic the composition of dairy milk.

Hence, the nutritional differences between dairy milk and plant-based alternatives are self-evident and 'truth in labelling' should occur now.

In the USA, the National Milk Producers’ Federation characterises such labelling as a misappropriation of ‘traditional dairy terms’ and says that ‘food labels should clearly and accurately identify the true nature of the food to the consumer’.

These non-dairy businesses should not be permitted to represent their products as something they are not.

Thus, the Government should act now to implement the many recommendations put forward over the past years and ensure that dairy milk is afforded the protection that the name 'milk' deserves.

Dairy farmers who work from before dawn to well after dusk each day deserve no less.

Shaughn Morgan, co-CEO eastAUSmilk