Dairy lobby is petitioning FDA to allow aspartame/artificial sweeteners to be added to milk/dairy products without a label

Not sure if these links will go thru:
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/02/aspartame-in-milk-without-label-big.html
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/02/20/2013-03835/flavored-milk-petition-to-amend-the-standard-of-identity-for-milk-and-17-additional-dairy-products

Sadassa_Ulna
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4 Comments

Sadassa_Ulna
Sadassa_Ulna February 26, 2013
ChefOno is correct and I might have worded my initial post unclearly, although I still don't like it either. As I understand it, any addition of aspartame, sucralose or any other artificial sweetener would in fact have to be listed along with the ingredients; however the front label that typically reads "reduced calorie" or "low sugar" [this is a red flag for me because I don't like aspartame or sucralose for many reasons] would no longer be required.
I think this has to do more with dairy products that typically flavored (chocolate milk, yogurt, etc.)that already have an ingredient list. So if some company started adding an artificial sweetener to plain milk it would have to appear on the carton somewhere. I hope it never comes to that.
 
ChefJune
ChefJune February 26, 2013
Yet another reason not to feed commercial dairy products to your kids, nor to ingest them yourself. Really sad. I will also be voicing my disapproval of said additions.
 
mrslarkin
mrslarkin February 26, 2013
OMG. That is insane!! Thanks for passing on the links, SU. The petition mentions that the dairy lobby is suggesting since "the FDA has already updated the ice cream standard for just this very purpose", they should be able to do it for milk.

Then, IMHO, the dairy lobby can't go calling it milk.

I'm afraid to ask what's in our milk right now?

How should we word "hell no" in an acceptable way in the comments section of the federal register?
 
ChefOno
ChefOno February 26, 2013

Don't misunderstand -- I am adamantly against adding artificial sweeteners to what should be "natural" products (including chocolate milk) -- but in my reading of the proposal, I can't find where inclusion of an artificial (i.e. non-nutritive) sweetener would be allowed but not listed on the ingredient label, only that the product would not have to make the claim of "reduced calorie". What really should be done is amend the labeling requirements to require a warning that the product is "artificially sweetened" or "artificially flavored" in such cases and let the market decide what they want to purchase.

Thanks for the information; I will submit an objection to the rule change forthwith.

 
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