EDIT: Removed the first sentence as recommended.
Please don't accuse people you don't know and second guess their motives in a conversation with them.
>I've made cashew milk and oat milk at home and they're naturally colored as they are on store shelves
Which is neither here nor there. I didn't say all are colored white: I used the term "usually". Second, even naturally white "alternative milks" have artificial coloring added for when they hit the shelves for consistency etc (manufacturers that don't do that are glad to advertise it in the box).
Second, both are not milks. Milks are what comes out of animals mammary glands (even legally in most jurisdictions). Advertisers and "health product" peddlers hijacked the term (that existed for millennia) to mean "random juices".
As I commented below, a moment before your reply, I edited it out as I understand that it is unproductive.
> I didn't say all are colored white: I used the term "usually". Second, even naturally white "alternative milks" have artificial coloring added for when they hit the shelves for consistency etc (manufacturers that don't do that are glad to advertise it in the box).
See my other comment, reproduced below:
"I've shopped extensively for plant-based milks on three continents in countries that represent nearly half of the world's population. I can provably claim that they are not "usually" colored artificially in even a generous use of "usual." This has nothing to do with knowing the person who wrote the comment."
> Second, both are not milks. Milks are what comes out of animals mammary glands
Sure, but this is your opinion which you're welcome to hold.
> (even legally in most jurisdictions)
Source needed for "most". I can confirm that plant milks can be labeled as milk in the US, Canada, and India, and the notable exception that I am aware of is the European Union.
"In English, the word "milk" (at the time spelt "mylk") has been used to refer to "milk-like plant juices" since at least 1200 AD." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_milk https://www.etymonline.com/word/milk#etymonline_v_16158
Please don’t be this sort of pedant. It’s been common for a long time to refer to various substances with a similar appearance to milk as “milks” - see coconut, Magnesia etc.
More to the point, “mylke of almaundes” as a term was around in the 15th century, so at this point it’s hardly unreasonable that it’s entered common usage.
The word milk has a somewhat broader meaning than what comes out of mammary glands. I would say that the default meaning, with no other modifier, is definitely mammary gland output. But checking various dictionaries I see definitions that include:
The white juice of certain plants, such as coconut milk.
A food product produced from seeds or fruit that resembles and is used similarly to cow's milk, such as coconut or soy milk.
A liquid resembling milk in appearance such as the latex of a plant.
And there's milk of magnesia.
I don't know when these various terms came into use, but the Online Etymology Dictionary suggests milk of almond and similar constructions have been around since the late 14th century:
Could you give some examples of this? I'm not that familiar with the different brands, but I've tried quite a few, and at least in the US I don't think that any of them I've tried add artificial coloring, and I don't think I've noticed packaging touting this as an advantage. Maybe this is a regional difference?
Here's an example of what I think the ingredients usually look like: https://silk.com/products/original-soymilk (click on ingredients)
And here's a breakdown of the standard ingredients in almond milk that doesn't mention artificial coloring: https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/a-breakdown-of-every-s...
edit: Ah, I should have quoted, lesson learned. The comment began "Please don't lie", which has been removed, and people are downvoting me and responding as if I'd read the edited comment, so mine appears nonsensical.
I've shopped extensively for plant-based milks on three continents in countries that represent nearly half of the world's population. I can provably claim that they are not "usually" colored artificially in even a generous use of "usual." This has nothing to do with knowing the person who wrote the comment.
If you're familiar with soy milk and almond milk, it's a pretty dubious claim. The most well known brand in the US is Silk, which contains no such whitening ingredients that I have seen (see https://silk.com/products for ingredient information) nor have I encountered any other brands that contain whitening ingredients.
I think it's justifiable to say that claim is a falsehood.
I was referring to whether it's true that it's a lie or not, not whether the claim is true or not. I seem to have not made that clear enough, sorry for that.
If someone says something false but they believe it's true, that's not lying. On the other hand, if someone says something true but they believe it's false, that is lying. Whether what they're saying is actually true or false is irrelevant to whether they're lying. Lying is saying something different to what you believe, with intent to deceive.[0] It's about a difference between what you say and what you believe. I think getting things wrong is a lot more common than lying on this planet, and labelling every getting-wrong of things a 'lie' should be considered harmful. Getting things wrong is natural, unavoidable, 'innocent' - lying is not.
[0] Or something like that - trying to make precise definitions is hard and not so useful.