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He’s Really Milking It

To the delight of the dairy industry, last week Commissioner Scott Gottlieb of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggested that since “an almond doesn’t lactate,” products like almond milk shouldn’t bear the name “milk.” FDA regulations state that “milk” is defined as “lacteal secretion” produced by “the complete milking of one or more healthy cows” — and almonds and soybeans and other vegetable matter don’t meet that definition. This week, at least 145,000 half gallon cartons of Vanilla Almond Breeze “Almondmilk” from Blue Diamond of Sacramento, Calif., were recalled because it’s contaminated — by cow’s milk. The FDA says cow’s milk is a non-disclosed allergen that could kill someone who is sensitive to it. (RC/Sacramento Bee, USA Today) ...Gottlieb’s next targets: milk of magnesia, goat’s milk, and then on to the big prize, mother’s milk.