A Senate bill that could reshape food packaging and marketing is advancing through Congress, drawing sharp criticism from the dairy industry.
The Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act, introduced by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, passed the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee with a narrow 12-10 bipartisan vote in September. The legislation would require bold warning labels covering at least 5% of food packages for four categories: sugar-sweetened beverages, products with high-intensity sweeteners, ultra-processed foods, and items high in added sugar, saturated fat, or sodium.
The bill would also ban marketing these products to children under 13 using cartoon characters, celebrities, toys or games, and prohibit advertising in media where kids represent at least 30% of the audience.
The dairy industry is pushing back hard. In a Sept. 9 letter to Congress, 76 dairy companies, cooperatives and producer organizations joined the International Dairy Foods Association and National Milk Producers Federation in opposing the measure.
"Whole milk, cheese and yogurt are staples of a healthy diet, not foods that should carry a warning label," said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.
Industry groups argue the bill's definition of ultra-processed foods is too broad and could incorrectly label whole milk, cheese and most yogurts as unhealthy products requiring warnings.
The Federal Trade Commission would enforce the rules if the bill becomes law.
This synopsis was created with the use of AI.