Hacker News Reader

Comment by inigyou | Hacker News Reader

Did you know in Germany it's illegal to call a product "soy yoghurt" because yoghurt is a dairy product?

Wisconsin ("America's dairyland" according to the motto, although other states produce more these days) tries occasionally to introduce bills to prevent non-dairy beverages labeling themselves "milk" in the state on the grounds that it's misleading. I always wonder if they succeed, will peanut butter be next on their radar?

Specificity and rules in German bureaucracy? A real shock, let me tell you.

As a result of this, half the stuff in a German supermarket doesn't say what it is on the packaging, just the brand name. So soy yoghurt doesn't say soy yoghurt, it says Alpro and you just have to guess or interpret the fine print to know that it's soy yoghurt.

Even actual yoghurt can't say yoghurt. It has to say mild yoghurt, on some technicality.

Second order effects of well intentioned regulation. As is tradition.

It clearly isn't well-intentioned, but a money grab by the meat and dairy industry.

That sounds like industry lobbying got the better of them, we have similar fights going on here around calling things plant "milk" or "butter" and the rest. What a shame, I can't imagine it's a lot of fun having to forensically examine every item on the shelf.

Here in America it’s the same - the people selling the fake stuff (sorry, “plant based stuff”) get around it by using fanciful spellings, that’s why we have “Cheez” and “OatMylk” and stuff. Also a VERY popular one: “Crème” - sounds fancy and French!! McDonalds offers a “Strawberries & Crème Pie.”

The dairy industry was upset about alternative milks and said it has to be from the mammary gland of a mammal to which one alternative milk advocate responds, what do you call the liquid that spills out when you cut a coconut in half?

That's coconut water.

Indeed you’re right, would have to simmer the flesh and strain for the milk, makes me think I’m misremembering or maybe the pro-alternative milk guy was skipping over that part to make a point… thanks :)

As long as people’s preferences are respected and they are not misled buying a plant-based product when they wanted an animal-based one and vice versa I find this kind of name reservation a misguided approach. We always had peanut butter for example, almond milk was always almond milk.

Just make sure I don’t run the risk of exposing my sophisticated Italian descended taste buds to some trash soy-based simulacra product due to deceptive packaging and I really don’t care if they call it cheese, milk or whatever.

The problem is, if you open the doors to the good-faith vegan kind of stuff that isn't trying to lie, you also open the doors to a product called "Milk" which, only if you read the fine print on the label, is made of one part milk, two parts water, and 2 parts seed oils and "flavorings". Sold to unsuspecting people at a discount.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com