We were outright shocked when we heard that the dairy industry was going to mess with our milk.
Diet milk, really?
Just last week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledged the 2009 petition from the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) to drop the FDA requirement to label dairy products as “artificially sweetened” when sweeteners like aspartame are on the ingredient list.
The only thought we have is WHY on earth would the dairy masters think this okay?
There is a certain amount of trust we give to companies when we look at the labeling of a product so to downplay the presence of an artificial sweetener seems like a tricky way to lie to consumers. Not cool.
The IDFA argues that milk is a key source of calcium but that the consumption of milk is sinking because of phrases like “reduced calorie” being a turn off to children. The industry is thinking that there needs to be better options available for lower calorie flavored milk to get milk back in the hands of kids.
Our thought: they want to hide it because we all know that the fake sugar is not-so-good for us. Although the presence of artificial sweeteners would still be listed on the ingredient list on the back of the container, we still feel…scammed.
The commercialization of the milk industry is not beyond us. We know that a lot happens post-cow milking before the good ‘ol milk hits the table, but adding non-nutritive aspartame to our milk sounds like the worst idea ever.
As an adult, I’ve consumed a few diet sodas in my life knowing good and well that it wasn’t the healthiest beverage option out there. But shooting milk up with the bad stuff seems like a cruel thing to do to a drink that targets children. Not to mention the documented symptoms that can come with ingesting too much fake sugar being handed to our kids with a straw in schools frankly horrifies us. We think it is silently saying that milk is bad in its original form.
We are appalled. Are you?
Do you think milk sweetened with aspartame should still be called milk? What are your thoughts on the dairy controversy?
Only another reason why I do not and will never drink or advocate milk consumption!