Wisconsin Republicans pursue truth-in-labeling bills

MADISON — Wisconsin Republicans are pursuing changes in state law to ban labeling food as meat, milk or dairy if they don't contain those products.

A Senate committee held a hearing Thursday, Oct. 24 on the proposals that bill sponsors argue is needed to protect Wisconsin's agriculture and dairy industries from what they argue is misleading food labeling. Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has pursued similar legislation at the federal level.

One bill would ban labeling a beverage as milk unless it comes from cows, goats and certain other animals. Another would prohibit selling a product as cream, yogurt or cheese unless it included dairy.

Those would only take effect if 10 other Midwest states approve similar bans by 2031.

A third would ban labeling or selling a product as meat, bacon or similar term unless it included the flesh of an animal. Eleven other states already have such a ban.