Anger Erupts Over Request To Allow Artificial Sweeteners In Dairy

There's trouble brewing in the land of milk and honey. Well, maybe just the land of milk.

On February 20, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) filed a petition requesting that the FDA change its definition of milk and other dairy products like cream and yogurt. They want to be allowed to label a product as "milk" if it contains artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, and to similarly be able to do this for other dairy products.

However, The Salt recently reported that opposition to this petition is arising from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the leading group of nutritionists in the United States. In its comments to the FDA, the Academy asserted that the petition fails to prove why it would be beneficial to allow dairy products to contain artificial sweeteners. It also cited several studies in its attempt to discredit the petition's stance that such an action would improve children's health and reduce obesity.

The time window for comments to be submitted to the FDA on the petition closed yesterday, so now it remains to be seen what actions the FDA may take on the issue. For now, it looks like a lot of crying over sweetened milk.