One year ago then-U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb made the famous observation that “almonds don’t lactate.” Yet since then, the FDA has not taken any action to resolve the burning question of, what is milk?

With more and more non-dairy products showing up in the dairy case, this question is one that dairy producers want answered.

In January, the FDA concluded a comment period exploring the issue of consumer confusion regarding the nutritional content of dairy products versus plant-based imitators. Organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, offered evidence of nutritional deficiencies caused by confusion over the contents of plant-based versus dairy beverages. Yet the agency continues to take no action to clarify what milk is.

With more chemically-concocted products calling themselves “meat” hitting the market, livestock producers are watching this issue extremely closely. Consumers are demanding transparency and accountability from farmers – so why not some clarity in what food products are called?

This is not a new fight. The government has established guides for a variety of other food and beverage products.

Take bourbon, another beverage with a strong connection to agriculture. In the early 1900s, bourbon makers in Kentucky saw the market flooded with imitation whiskey that was mostly non-grain-based alcohol and often contained other harmful chemicals.

The Pure Food Act of 1906 established basic guidelines for a variety of food products, including bourbon. Many of these regulations are still in place today.

President Teddy Roosevelt was a food safety zealot. The chief chemist at the USDA, former Purdue University professor Dr. Harvey Whiley, and Roosevelt teamed up to reform the food industry and impose much-needed safety standards.

Whiley went as far as to set up a still in the cabinet room of the White House to demonstrate the difference between real bourbon and imitation. Perhaps we should set up a milking parlor in front of the FDA building to demonstrate the difference between real dairy products and plant- and nut-based “milk.”

There is a lot of money at stake here; thus, industries that stand to lose big bucks will fight hard to preserve the status quo. The FDA’s foot-dragging is only making the situation worse. Leadership on a variety of issues is lacking in Washington, and continued inaction by the FDA is a prime example.

President Trump has shown he can take bold and decisive action, even when that action may not be the right thing to do. His cabinet, however, suffers from paralysis on several fronts. Perhaps a tweet about milk and how it comes from animals, not fruits, nuts, and vegetables, would goad his agency into taking action.

The dairy industry has some strong and powerful enemies who would love nothing more than to have consumers be confused about what milk is and from where it comes.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Gary Truitt may write to him in care of this publication.