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Comment by yuppiepuppie | Hacker News Reader

I thought we weren't allowed to call plant based "milk", milk anymore? Its a soy beverage.

I think it's fair to call it milk. It's definitely not a beverage as a soda or beer would be.

It used to be "secretion from the mammary glands of certain farm animals" but you can rephrase it to "liquid that is taken from a particular protein source — a coconut, a soy[bean], a cow, a goat..."

Well coconut milk has been coconut milk forever basically, I don’t see why it shouldn’t be allowed to call the liquid produces of plants milk anymore only because the threatened dairy industry suddenly decides. And I think some countries agree here.

Yeah NIVEA body milk is in trouble.

Allowed?

Ya in Europe it’s not “allowed” commercially to call anything which is not an animal milk a milk.

https://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/news/european-court-rul...

It's not limited to cows, but it needs to come from an animal.

Sure it is.

Here's in EU coconut milk: https://hjem.foetex.dk/produkt/kokosmaelk-max-18-fedt-oeko/6...

And another EU retailer selling goat milk: https://naturkost-odense.dk/product_info.php?products_id=202

Animal milk is ok but coconut milk is an exception I guess. I don’t really know why.

Because with its long history as a food, coconut milk is widely know to be called "milk" for its colour. It was not traditionally used as a replacement for milk, it stood on its own as a food source.

These new products are designed to replace actual milk for use in consumption. So there does entail danger of confusion, hence, the restriction on calling them milk.

Only in Europe

I hadn't even noticed so I walked to the fridge and indeed: here in The Netherlands, it's called "Alpro Soya naturel" or "Alpro Soya Barista" or something. My grocery app calls it a "soy drink". Cans of coconut milk are still called coconut milk, but the 1-liter-sizes are called "coconut drink".

This sorta reminds me of the note they add to some compostable products which says the item is compostable, but not in California. I actually appreciate CA’s tighter regulatory standards but the note itself feels absurd.

This is milk, but not in Europe

  > This is milk, but not in Europe

Do you know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in Europe?

Mylk? Melk?

- Old English meoluc (West Saxon)

- milc (Anglian)

- Proto-Germanic meluk

- Old Norse mjolk

- Old Frisian melok

- Old Saxon miluk

- Dutch melk

- Old High German miluh

- German Milch

- Gothic miluks

- Czech mléko, Serbian млеко, Russian молоко, ..

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