In this corner, weighing in at a little over 2 billion pounds, we have California almonds; in the other, at a whopping 39.8 billion pounds, California dairy products.
It might not seem like much of a contest, given the vast weight disparity, but dairy producers are going to the mat with producers of plant-based beverages on what can be called "milk".
Dairy producers are irked the practice of using the word "milk" to describe plant-based beverages made from soy, coconut, hemp and, yes, almond. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USDA) “standards of identity” define milk as a fluid that comes from a lactating animal.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottleib conceded, in response to dairy industry outrage, that “an almond doesn’t lactate, I will confess.”
Standards of identity are regulations that define how products must be manufactured to call themselves a particular name. Ketchup, mayonnaise, ice cream and whiskey all must conform to certain standards to use those names.
The FDA will begin soliciting public comment in a process to develop a guidance document to enforce a standard of identity for milk, although it was not clear the standard would exclude plant-based beverages, according to ABC News. The process should take about a year.
Although the almond market is a fraction of that of dairy, the little almond might be considered a David to dairy’s Goliath. Both California contenders are heavy weights in the state economy. In California’s top 10 valued commodities, dairy ranks first, and almonds third, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
California is first in the nation for dairy production; California almond growers lead the world, probably due to the narrow set of climate conditions suitable for almond propagation.
Here are California almonds and dairy by the numbers:
Almonds Dairy
Production: 2 billion+ pounds 39.8 billion pounds
Revenues: $5.16 billion $21 billion
Farms: 6,800 1,392
Jobs created: 104,000 189,000
Water needed to generate 1 glass: 23 gallons 30 gallons
Adds to state GDP: $11 billion $65 billion