The once serene dairy aisle is turning into a battleground. The uproar stems from a recent viral advertisement – featuring actress Aubrey Plaza and the fictitious product ‘Wood Milk’ – which is now under scrutiny for allegedly contravening federal law by deriding plant-based beverages.
The controversial ad from April, crafted by MilkPEP (of the famed “Got Milk?” campaigns), humorously knocks plant-based alternatives, dubbing the concocted ‘Wood Milk’ as “a sellable slime,” devoid of nutrients, and not qualifying as “real milk.”
However, MilkPEP’s satirical approach has not been received lightly by all. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit organization advocating public health, recently filed a complaint. They are seeking the USDA’s intervention to halt the ‘Wood Milk’ campaign, citing a violation of two rules designed to deter aggressive tactics in agricultural advertising.
According to the committee’s complaint, the ad infringes a federal law forbidding declarations that could potentially be false, misleading, or defamatory towards another agricultural commodity.
MilkPEP’s CEO defended the ad campaign, stating it was conceived in response to a pending FDA proposal to permit plant-based beverages to use the label “milk”. However, the campaign’s utilization of USDA funding is landing them in hot water, as such use is illegal when intended to sway legislation.
The dairy-versus-plant milk rivalry is set against a backdrop of changing consumption trends. Over the past five decades, dairy milk consumption has seen a significant decrease of 42%, while plant-based alternative sales experienced a 6% growth in the last year alone, according to Euromonitor data.
Proponents of plant-based beverages argue their products not only offer nutritional value, but also boast a lower carbon footprint compared to traditional cow’s milk. They also firmly dispute any likeness in taste to wood.
This clash underscores the complex dynamics shaping the future of our grocery aisles. As the legal wrangling continues, entrepreneurs and investors are keenly watching the outcome of this dairy dispute, ready to seize emerging opportunities in the evolving milk market.