“A Total Oxymoron": Dairy groups take aim at ‘dairy-free butter’

One of the nation’s largest dairy groups is calling foul over a product claiming to be “dairy-free butter.”

The National Milk Producers Federation says the product by Country Crock should be illegal, and they are calling on the FDA to take action.

“Butter has rebounded, and things like margarines and plant spreads, plant-based spreads, are in decline. So, if you’re a manufacturer of those imitation butters, fake butters, what do you do? You decide to label yourself as something called dairy-free butter, which is a total oxymoron, because you can’t have butter unless it comes from a dairy ingredient, like cream. But this is a concern because we see these products in the marketplace,” said Chris Galen, Executive Director of the American Butter Institute and a Senior Vice President for the National Milk Producers Federation.

Galen says moves like that should be considered illegal. The American Butter Institute has asked USDA to step in, saying it violates federal standards.

Related Stories
The ag trade deficit is narrowing, but export competition remains strong.
NMPF’s Alan Bjerga discusses pending trade agreements with Indonesia and Ecuador and how they will benefit U.S. dairy producers and improve overall global competitiveness of U.S. ag products.
Rising protein demand supports long-term trade in feed and meat.
China’s stricter inspection rules prompt Cargill to pause soybean exports from Brazil, briefly lifting U.S. soybean prices as traders anticipate potential shifts in global trade, as export demand remains supportive across all major U.S. commodities.
Ben Kurtzman with American Farmland Trust discusses the growing pressure on farmland and ranchland and the steps being taken to help conserve farms and ranches across the country ,as unrest in the Middle East adds more obstacles for producers.
India trade tensions may affect the U.S. export outlook.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Plan for sharp, short-term volatility after unexpected outages; permanent closures rarely trigger major price spread disruptions.
American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) economist Danny Munch joined us on Thursday’s Market Day Report to break down the scope of the U.S. Christmas Tree industry and what growers are up against.
Canadian tariffs would raise costs for potash, ammonia, and UAN, increasing spring fertilizer risk.
Lewis Williamson with HTS Commodities breaks down the outlook on grain storage and domestic supply chain strength as producers weigh planting decisions with forthcoming federal aid.