MADISON — The Wisconsin State Senate Committee on Agriculture, Revenue and Financial Institutions heard testimony Oct. 24 on proposed “Truth in Food Labeling” legislation. 

It would restrict use of words like “meat,” “milk” and “cheese” to products that contain those things, and not, for example, products like soy or almond “milks” that are derived from plants.

Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) was one of the senators to introduce the bills, one each for the labeling of milk (Senate Bill 466, Assembly Bill 516), dairy products (SB 463, AB 515) and meat (SB 464, AB 518). 

“It all came from listening to farmers,” Marklein said of the impetus for the legislation. “It just irritated them that people could sell things and call it ‘milk’ when it had nothing to do with what most of us consider milk.”

Marklein said there were more than two hours of testimony, and only two people spoke against it, both from plant-based food groups. He said he thought they believed that there wasn’t any confusion between products.

Dave Buholzer, co-owner of Klondike Cheese in Monroe and a supporter of the bill, disagrees. 

“There’s just a lot of misinformation out there,” he said. 

According to a recent study done by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative, an average of 48% of consumers surveyed thought that plant-based products mimicking mozzarella and cheddar cheeses actually were those cheeses.

Buholzer also said that people don’t read the ingredients statement on the plant-based products calling themselves milk.

“They trust what the main label says,” he said. “They think, ‘well, this is what it is,’ when in fact it’s not.” 

“The committee will need to vote on the bills to get them out of committee and advance them for consideration to the floor,” said Marklein. He chairs the committee and hadn’t scheduled the vote as of Oct. 29, but hoped to get that done within the next month or so, he said. 

But since the bill relates to interstate commerce, Marklein said 11 additional states are needed for milk labeling to go into effect. The situation would be similar for dairy products, while meat labeling legislation has already been passed by several other states.

“It’s not going to be a cure-all,” said Buholzer, but he said that it would help move things in the right direction.