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Permitting the use “any safe and suitable” sweeteners - including aspartame - in milk flavouring ingredients would help to stem the current milk consumption decline in US schools, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) has claimed.
The IDFA comments follow the ascension of a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-filed citizen petition to the US Federal Register.
The petition in question - filed by the IDFA and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) in March 2009 - requested an amendment to the standard of identity for milk to allow optional characterising flavouring ingredients used in milk to be sweetened with “any safe and suitable sweetener.”
The IDFA and the NMPF also called on the FDA to modify the standard for 17 other dairy products including evaporated milk, whipping cream, yogurt and sour cream for at the same time for “administrative efficiency.”
The petition was published on the Federal Register wesbite earlier this week. The FDA has also issued a call for comments on the requested amendment.
Commenting on the ascension, the IDFA described the petition as a “direct attempt” to keep flavoured milk products in US schools.
Keep flavoured milk in schools
“The petition was and continues to be a direct attempt to keep flavoured milk in school cafeterias, as federal agencies and consumer groups continue to push for lower-calorie milk and foods on school menus to combat increases in childhood obesity,” said the IDFA.
“The current standard requires processors to use special labelling, such as ‘reduced-calorie chocolate milk’ for milk made with non-nutritive sweeteners. This phrase, according to market research, doesn’t appeal to children and has contributed to the overall decline in milk consumption in schools, the petition states.”
The proposed amendment to the standard would stem this downturn, the IDFA claimed.
“Allowing milk processors to use any ‘safe and suitable’ sweetener in flavoured milk and still label it ‘milk’ would help to stem the drop in consumption, while promoting healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.”
Improve US school nutrition profile
As further support for their 2009 petition, the IDFA and the NMPF also claimed that the proposed amendment would help improve the nutrition and health profile of food served in US schools.
“IDFA and NMPF state that the proposed amendments would promote more healthful eating practices and reduce childhood obesity by providing for lower-calorie flavoured milk would particularly benefit school children who, according to IDFA and NMPF, are more inclined to drink flavoured milk that unflavoured milk at school,” said the Federal Register notice.
“Those initiatives include state-level programs designed to limit the quantity of sugar served to children during the school day,” said the FDA Federal Register notice.
According to the notice, the IDFA and NMPF also claim that the proposed amendment would “promote honesty and fairy dealing in the marketplace.”
The FDA has called for written and electronic comments by 21 May 2013. Click here to read the document or comment.
26 comments (Comments are now closed)
Greed at the expense of children's health
Shame, shame, shame the IDFA for even considering it. Bigger shame if the FDA approves it. They should go to jail!
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Posted by Debbie
03 April 2013 | 01h56
Artificial sweetener allergies?
My kids LOVE almond milk. Hormone free, pus free, antibiotic free, blood free, and gmo free so far. We used to use regular milk. But really, how gross was that? Let them keep their cow squeezins. I doubt that adding sugar flavored poison to it will help the milk industry.
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Posted by Desiree
01 April 2013 | 05h55
It's time...
It's time to buy a cow and milk her myself. Then raise her calf for meat on my non-genetically modified grass. Big companies and politics are killing our country and our people. This kind of garbage is illegal in Europe. Corn syrup is illegal in Europe. Monsanto has been kicked out of Europe. There are SOME things we can learn from the folks across The Pond!
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Posted by Sue
01 April 2013 | 02h19
sweeteners in milk is a bad idea!
I am highly allergic to a lot of these sweeteners. I no longer can have gum or several other foods. I and my family will be forced to eating milk substitutes if this goes through. I really hope this does not occur.
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Posted by misty
18 March 2013 | 03h29
You'll make them even fatter
Artifical sweeteners in milk will train chidren to like sweeter foods since artificial sweeteners taste sweeter than regular sugar and make kids crave sweet foods. What about the recent research done in France that showed that Nutrasweet and Equal raise insulin levels and cause Diabetes in women? Kids would be better off not drinking milk than drinking more artifical sweeteners.
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Posted by Concerned Dietitian
06 March 2013 | 22h44
Garbage
Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are neurotoxins and 100% harmful to any brain, much less developing children's brains. Making milk sweeter with this chemical to make our kids drink more milk that is also chalked full of antibiotics? Garbage.
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Posted by Concerned Chiropractor
05 March 2013 | 20h22
Chemicals instead of Exercise?
When I first read this I thought it was a joke. How can adding chemicals to our developing children's brains be a good thing on any level?
If you are so concerned about our children's health, bring back trained physical education teachers to the schools and as little processed food as possible.
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Posted by Patty
03 March 2013 | 22h54
Health vs. Profits
I agree with Lori. We need to stop adding questionable chemicals in our food. Has anyone even studied to see if the chemicals is what is causing the obesity problem? Our health and the health of our children should come before company profits.
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Posted by Janet
03 March 2013 | 22h08
Artificial food, artificial truth
"Cut the Crap" comment by Lori is right on. Aspartame has been shown to have negative neurological effects on people--if not all, many. Children are known to have developing, vulnerable brains. That American kids and their families are wise enough to avoid such questionable sweeteners does not invite dishonest labeling as a good solution. What a sick, manipulative corporate mentality. Someone should be arrested for this.
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Posted by SamPatrick
03 March 2013 | 19h44
Cut the Crap
Cutting calories and adding chemicals to my children's school lunches does NOT create healthy eating habits for life! Stop with all that artificial garbage in the children's food so they can grow up healthy. Go back to raw and as little processing as possible!
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Posted by Lori
02 March 2013 | 08h49
I'm the only one.
The government is trying to cut calories from school lunches. To do so, they cut out chocolate milk which has extra calories because of the added sugar. Because they cut out chocolate milk, kids don't drink any milk at all. So the dairy associations come up with a logical solution to sweeten the milk with artificial sweeteners. It is all quite logical rather than diabolical. However, the problem with all of this starts with the state and federal government setting the rules for school lunches. We would be better served with local control.
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Posted by Steve H
02 March 2013 | 05h03
A big step backwards for food labeling
Wow, there are lots of things that don't appeal to children, but we still label products that include them.
My husband vomits almost immediately after consuming stevia based sweeteners, wouldn't it be great if they were in everything?
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Posted by Jennifer B.
01 March 2013 | 22h29
I will boycott and I have 3 kids under 5 yrs old
Keep my kids' food/drinks free from chemicals! I will let all my family networking groups know of this intention. Moms are serious about the health and nutrition of/for children.
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Posted by Joy Lincke
01 March 2013 | 21h18
You call this teaching our children to eat healthily?
If they allow this to pass I will stop buying milk from stores. I can find a farmer's market or other store that will sell milk that is healthier than this. The fact that the FDA would even consider this enforces my opinion that our country has no intelligent officials in that department.
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Posted by Alicia C.
01 March 2013 | 20h59
What does "Promoting healthy eating habits" mean?
Call me silly, but I believe promoting healthy eating habits involves people - even children - knowing what's in what they eat! How can we make healthy decisions when foods we think of as natural are in fact adulterated with foreign ingredients, which are hidden from us through deceptive labeling.
When a child reads a label saying there's a bunch of chemical additives in a "food" offering and opts to not buy or consume it, that IS a healthy eating habit. It's just a habit that doesn't suit commercial interests.
Remove sodas and sugary drinks from schools and children will opt to drink natural or reduced-fat unsweetened milk. Artificial sweeteners just encourage addiction to sweetness.
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Posted by gjyaffe
01 March 2013 | 18h58
Allergic to artificial sweeteners
My disabled son can't talk and is allergic to many foods including all artificial sweeteners. When he has a food item he shouldn't, his reaction is VERY SEVERE. He can flip out for months. Therefor, I make all his meals from scratch so he won't have a reactions. He loves milk, one a the few things he CAN have. Please don't allow this ridiculous additive in our foods!!!
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Posted by Sally
01 March 2013 | 18h27
Link to the FDA
http://tinyurl.com/c4z6nws
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Posted by C Wrinn
01 March 2013 | 17h17
artificial sweetener
This is wrong. I am allergic to artificial sweeteners and don't allow my kids to have any. What happens if a child drinks this milk and go into shock and dies because no one knows it's in there. This idea could kill. Milk tastes good without adding anything to it. Do you really want to risk our children this way?. Give this a lot more thought before you do this. At least let the consumer know that something has been added so they can decide.
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Posted by Rose Atkinson
01 March 2013 | 14h47
How about a link?
to the FDA?
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Posted by Julie
01 March 2013 | 02h36
The FDA
If anyone believes that the FDA is there to protect us and not political donors you are fools. Why would anyone in their right mind put any sweeteners into products that are supposed to be good for you? We all know aspertame is junk, and too much sugar promotes diabetes and obesity, so why add what we know is unnecessary.
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Posted by Tim
26 February 2013 | 20h40
people wake up!
We know the dangers of artifical sweetners. They are more addictive than sugar. It is just setting the kids up for sugar substitute addictions later on.
The thing I find most concerning is that they are looking to change the guidelines not just on the flavored milk for schools,but for 17 other dairy products as well. I used to think that milk came from a cow, but this stuff comes from a chemical factory. by the time they homoginize and pasturize and process the milk, then they add flavors and colors and whatever else they put in there, it is no longer milk, it is a milk-like substance far from what comes from a cow.
I enjoy dairy products, but I have learned to watch the labels, they are already putting a ton of extra stuff in the dairy products and they want to add more and more flavoring enhancers etc. So many places you have to go out of your way to find real dairy products.(if you can find them or buy them in your state)What is our world coming to. I am scared for the welfare of my three small children. I hope that I can help them to make good choices and teach them well.
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Posted by happy momma
25 February 2013 | 16h11
Small percentage of people affecting change
I'm tired of the "small group of people" that seem to scream loud enough to affect the many!
I for one will not allow my kids to drink Milk with artificial sweeteners. If they want to do something, then make other option with artificial sweeteners. The container can be yellow. Just a suggestion.
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Posted by No more Silent majority
24 February 2013 | 19h14
SERIOUSLY???????
Yes let's just put some toxic chemicals into milk to sweeten it up so these kids will drink more milk.... so more money is made for these companies. Aspartame.....is a toxic chemical....made by Monsanto.....which is a chemical company....who also made Agent Orange back in the Vietnam war....also made the Bovine Growth Hormone....etc.....they know it's poison....and yet the FDA allows it into so many foods!! They don't care about you or your children....it is about the dollar...and more of them the better.....and if it means poisoning people in the meantime.....well then that's when the pharm companies smile and rub their hands together.....more people buy their drugs....doctor's get richer and so on.....it's all BIG business. So when the IDFA and NMPF says it would "promote honesty and fair dealing in the marketplace" IT IS NOT TRUE....IT IS A LIE.....AND if the FDA approves it then it is really unfortunate that a lot of parents are going to get up off the couch and pay attention to what you are eating/drinking....and especially for your kids.....if you won't do it for yourself then do it for them...they must be protected!!!!
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Posted by jeannie
23 February 2013 | 18h16
Comment link please
Please post a link where we can make comments on this. Prefer to have clean milk for our children. This is insane.
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Posted by Candy
23 February 2013 | 15h53
Huh?
So how is substituting a handful of chemicals for a perfectly natural product a "healthy eating habit"? That's like saying a vitamin pill is better for you than eating fruits and vegetables. American parents are getting lazier all the time.
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Posted by Redding
22 February 2013 | 17h59
this is nonsense
There does not need to be, nor should there be, any products containing artificial sweeteners in milk products in the schools - or in the homes either for that matter. Keep it as natural as possible. The extra sweet taste is acquired - so don't let them get used to it - it will only hurt the obesity issue in the long run.
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Posted by Connie Maltin
22 February 2013 | 17h50
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