Giving Compass' Take:

• Jessica McKenzie at The New Food Economy writes about the debate on whether plant-based milks are giving children the proper nutrients compared to dairy milk. 

• According to the author, the claim that plant-based milks are hurting children seems like a new angle on an old argument. How can funders help support food-related research?

• Here are 12 plant-based foods that are coming to market this year. 

The milk wars are steaming up. The latest casualty⁠—or perhaps pawn⁠—is the children.

The dairy industry has been lobbying to crack down on plant-based “imitation milks” since at least 2000. This year, they won the support of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the influential professional organization representing more than 66,000 pediatricians.

Responding to a request for comments by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on using dairy food names for plant-based products, AAP President Kyle Yasuda wrote in January, “the AAP recommends that FDA reserve the label of ‘milk’ solely for traditional dairy products to ensure that children receive the optimal nutrition they need to thrive.”

The AAP’s recommendation hinges on anecdotal reports that “the term ‘milk’ in the labeling of dairy-free alternatives has caused parental confusion, leading to the purchase of products that they assume contain traditional dairy ingredients and, thereby, unintentionally causing harmful nutritional deficiencies in their children.”

Read the full article on plant-based milks by Jessica McKenzie at The New Food Economy.