Geoff: It's almost official, so,
almonds and other plant-based
drinks can keep using milk
according to new draft
guidelines we leased by the
F.D.A.
What is milk any way?
Stephanie explores the debate.
Reporter: Who shot Alexander
Hamilton?
Reporter: Milk has been a huge
part.
Remember this commercial from
1993.
>> For 10,000 calories.
>> Excuse me?
[Indiscernible]
Reporter: There has been a
growing debate as divisive
debate.
Americans are having a cow over
the meaning of milk.
What is milk exactly?
It seems you can milk anything,
at least to these YouTube videos
from this milker Erie.
>> I will show you a nut nip
will.
Looks like milk to me.
Reporter: According to the
F.D.A., milk is see kreetion
completed by cows.
Harvard school of public health
web site said if liquid by dairy
animals.
And they want to keep these
definitions.
>> These plant-based products
are on the market.
They should stand on their own
legs and not massacre aid as
a -- go on as a dairy product.
Reporter: Last decade as they
rose in popularity, milk
advocates said using this was
misleading.
During the trump administration,
then F.D.A. Commissioner
suggested that new labeling
requirements might be in the
offing.
>> And lack Tate annual --
animal.
Reporter: Last week, the Biden
administration said plant-based
alternatives are allowed to
continue to themselves milk.
The reasoning?
>> Could I get a medium
almond-milk latte.
Reporter: 90% of Americans
bye -- buy cow's milk.
It accounts for 16% of all milk
sales in the U.S.
New ad company has a milk
moustache.
>> That is a huge win and long
time coming.
Reporter: Vice president of
policy and food systems at the
plant-based foods association
agrees with the F.D.A. Allowing
alternatives to be called milk.
>> You don't milk a cashew but
they have used it on coconut
milk.
To ignore that is to ignore
longstanding cultural uses for
the term milk.
Reporter: They disagree with the
f.d.a.'s accompanying
recommendation that they include
labels like this intending to
clief the difference in
nutrients.
>> The fundamental flaw of this
draft guidance, it seeks to
portray that it is somehow
inferior to cow's milk.
There are important nutrients
such as fiber that are included
that are not in conventional
cow's milk and there are
nutrients that need to be
limited, like saturated fat.
Reporter: Howard says saturated
fat has gotten a bad rap.
>> They have been around 15
There is nutrition, there is
wellness and there is help to
sell their products and
nutrition and wellness is not
there.
>> Not a grain or nut that
hippies don't want to milk and
they will pay for it.
Reporter: Both sides agree on is
mutual dissatisfaction with the
F.D.A.
The public comment is open.
Feel free to weigh in.