r/unitedkingdom • u/ParkedUpWithCoffee • 22d ago
Oatly is NOT milk! Trade body for Britain's dairy industry wins legal battle as judge rules firm behind the vegan drink can't call itself that in any marketing
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14160323/Oatly-NOT-milk-Trade-body-Britains-dairy-industry-wins-legal-battle-judge-rules-firm-vegan-drink-call-marketing.html4.6k
u/Trilaced 22d ago
No consumer has ever bought oat milk thinking it’s bovine mammary fluid but there you go.
1.9k
u/savois-faire 22d ago
You ever notice how none of these guys have a problem with names like "peanut butter" for a product that isn't butter in any way, or "headcheese" for a product that isn't cheese in any way, or "egg cream" for a product that contains neither eggs nor cream, or "sweetmeat" for a product that isn't meat, etc.
I'm a meat eater but can't help but notice that, somehow, it's only when vegans are being catered to that people get angry about misleading food names.
1.1k
u/LDinthehouse 22d ago
You're bang on
Easter eggs have to go, we'll call them Easter chocolate oval domes instead
I'm also assuming any conditioner or face cream will drop the name milk too? Right?
646
→ More replies117
355
u/brapmaster2000 22d ago
It's more that oat milk is cutting into their profits.
Coconut milk never really caught on as an alternative, it was always it's own thing. Oat milk just directly replaces cow's milk for people who choose it, so they're not happy.
310
u/UnusualSomewhere84 22d ago
And not using the word milk won’t stop that. It’s incredibly petty.
169
u/magicmuggle Merseyside 22d ago
Literally. There’s a couple of smug people out there now celebrating this ruling, even though absolutely nothing will change. Weird behaviour.
→ More replies141
u/LengthiLegsFabulous3 22d ago
If anything it's making me think of switching to oat. I can't support that pettiness.
→ More replies70
u/rwinh Essex 22d ago edited 22d ago
If you like porridge, oat milk is really good as an alternative to dairy milk. It's a bit weird as as it's oats upon oats, but the milk adds an extra creaminess to them with less fat than dairy. I vaguely remember pea milk is good for coffee, but can't say I've ever seen it in shops - or someone was playing a cruel prank.
Edit: Just because it's here now - for anyone wanting a double cream alternative, Flora Double Plant Cream is surprisingly good. Bought it by accident, but it worked in a soup and a chocolate mousse.
→ More replies18
u/nikhkin 22d ago
If you like porridge, oat milk is really good as an alternative to dairy milk.
It's also great in coffee. It tastes like you've been dunking Hobnobs in it.
→ More replies67
u/Pabus_Alt 22d ago
And people will continue to call it milk....
TBF, if Oatley is smart with their advertising, they could probably even get a bump out of this, have big black censor bars or something to grab attention.
→ More replies24
u/JeremyWheels 22d ago
Dairy UK argued that it was unlawful to use the term 'milk' in a trademark 'in relation to products that are not mammary secretions'
I feel like they could definitely use the mammary secretions line.
"We may not be able to call it milk due to the absence of secretions but..."
→ More replies27
56
u/DucDeBellune 22d ago
That’s just it too, “milk” isn’t a trademarked brand name or an IP. If a specific company invented the word for their specific product and that legal ownership was still in place I’d completely get being pissed about a competitor using the term, but that isn’t happening here. It makes even less sense when you look up how many things use the word “milk.”
→ More replies49
u/katie-kaboom 22d ago
Yep. I'll still be asking for an oat milk latte. The dairy industry can't stop me.
→ More replies19
u/SplurgyA Greater London 22d ago
Although you have now reminded me of an amusing tableau I saw of a woman getting angry at a barista for asking if she wanted "oat milk or normal milk"
→ More replies20
→ More replies14
u/No_Doubt_About_That 22d ago
Does this mean we can expect oat m1lk to appear on the shelves instead
→ More replies26
u/pantone13-0752 22d ago
A) yes, obviously, cutting into their profits is the reason why; b) oat milk tastes nothing like cow's milk. I prefer it in coffee actually - for that reason. (I like cow's milk too, it's just not my favourite in coffee).
→ More replies38
u/brapmaster2000 22d ago
It fulfills an almost identical use case to cow's milk. For a lot of consumers they'll just only pick one instead of having both.
→ More replies169
u/HaggisPope 22d ago
Salad cream is another one.
104
u/quackers987 22d ago
You mean they haven't milked a lettuce and then churned it to make it creamy?
SCANDALOUS
→ More replies19
u/HaggisPope 22d ago
Would a lettuce have udders or would it be more like leafy breasts?
45
→ More replies11
38
u/theslootmary 22d ago
I think “cream” has always had a more flexible definition. Shaving cream, pile cream, sun cream… cream describes the consistency of the substance more than anything, despite its linguistic-dairy origins.
→ More replies31
→ More replies16
83
u/blamordeganis 22d ago
Where is the mince in my mince pies?
43
u/umop_apisdn 22d ago
They originally did contain minced meat, usually mutton.
→ More replies26
u/ParticularAd4371 22d ago
yeah but not anymore, so we'll have to start calling them fruit pies or they'll have to add mutton back in.
→ More replies→ More replies17
u/Geek_a_leek 22d ago
Dear John Tesco, I was purchasing your mince pies that apparently had "mincemeat" in them however there was no meat in the product, this is an OUTRAGE
54
u/Due-Tonight-611 22d ago
"headcheese" for a product that isn't cheese in any way,
A what now
36
29
u/dyUBNZCmMpPN 22d ago
It's an offal product, usually beef or pork: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_cheese
→ More replies13
32
→ More replies18
u/RyeZuul 22d ago
Yes - it's pettiness because it's competing for the same space/consumption occasions and dairy/meat industries are definitely not above playing dirty. They have tried doing it for things like sausages and burgers too.
Also not vegan, but I do cover these industries.
→ More replies353
u/caiaphas8 Yorkshire 22d ago
What you mean? Those farmers spend hours milking the teats of coconuts
78
u/Ruby-Shark 22d ago
Are you suggesting that coconuts lactate?
127
u/Beanslab 22d ago
Boobs are round things with milk inside
Coconuts are also round with milk in them
See the correlation?
/s
45
u/ThatAdamsGuy Hull 22d ago
Yeah but from experience one is a much more pleasant motorboat than the other.
→ More replies→ More replies20
→ More replies24
→ More replies42
u/pajamakitten Dorset 22d ago
The hardest part about being vegan is getting up at 4am to milk the almonds.
273
u/JugglingDodo 22d ago
Wait, are you telling me Vegans are Vegan by choice and not as a result of corporate misinformation?
196
u/saladinzero Norn Iron in Scotland 22d ago
I'm not even vegan, the oat milk just tastes better.
127
u/Clem_H_Fandang0 22d ago
Also lasts for a bit longer
→ More replies114
u/theorem_llama 22d ago
And is far more sustainable.
54
u/JeremyWheels 22d ago
And doesn't involve anally fisting and violently mistreating cows.
→ More replies→ More replies47
61
u/HeartyBeast London 22d ago
I'm not even vegetarian. I just like to reduce my carbon foot-print where possible and this is a small, easy step
27
u/Brapfamalam 22d ago
I have dairy with my tea and oat milk with my coffees.
For me oat is just miles better with loads of drinks, and I prefer to drink it generally but nothing beats regular milk with tea.
→ More replies→ More replies14
→ More replies29
69
u/MajestyA 22d ago
This is what I keep coming back to for stuff like this. I don't really understand what this entire argument is for - if you're buying something clearly labelled as Oat Milk thinking that it's dairy milk then I see that the problem is you, not the product.
If the argument was because Oatly just labelled their cartons 'Milk' with no other context I'd get it, but that is simply not what's happening.
→ More replies21
u/VandienLavellan 22d ago
It’s not even calling it milk that’s the problem. It’s the phrase on the carton “post milk generation” they’ve taken issue with
→ More replies46
u/Logical_Tank4292 22d ago
If they're claiming to be 'post milk', aren't they themselves doubling down on the fact that their product is indeed... not milk.
→ More replies34
u/VandienLavellan 22d ago
Yep. Big Dairy just doesn’t want the word milk anywhere on their carton. Stupid and petty. So they’d be annoyed if Oatly called it “Literallly Completely Not Milk in Any Way at All”
→ More replies22
u/CandidLiterature 22d ago
It’s pretty wild that the case has been successful. Maybe the judge also cannot read…
I wonder how ‘I can’t believe it’s not butter’ gets away with it
→ More replies41
u/FTXACCOUNTANT 22d ago
As a staunch carnivore, who only drank Oatly, I am shocked at this revelation.
25
22
u/trowzerss 22d ago
Yeah, the fight over the term milk just seems so silly to me. Non dairy items have been called milk for a long time. The etymology of milk referring to plant sap goes back to 1200. But besides that no-one reads 'oat milk' or 'soy milk' and gets confused about it coming from a cow.
→ More replies14
→ More replies7
u/YOU_CANT_GILD_ME 22d ago
You say that, but I bet there's someone somewhere out there who thinks it's milk from cows who were fed on oats.
→ More replies42
2.5k
u/OwlCaptainCosmic 22d ago
Given that we’ve been calling the milk of a coconut it’s “milk” for thousands of years, perhaps this isn’t really a fair ruling.
1.1k
u/mynameisollie 22d ago
We’ve been using the word milk to describe things that don’t come from a breast for 100s years. Milk of magnesia, almond milk, milk of the poppy, latex milk, milk of lime etc.
153
u/concretepigeon Wakefield 22d ago
Isn’t the term milk of the poppy from A Song of Ice and Fire?
105
u/Many_Move6886 22d ago
There is poppy juice which has been use medicinally but yes 'milk of the poppy' is just a ASOIAF term
16
80
u/Rhyers 22d ago
The term specifically yes, it's usually referred to as poppy milk... Or heroin. He didn't invent it.
→ More replies19
u/jflb96 Devon 22d ago
Heroin is a specific thing that was invented by Bayer around the end of the 19th century. One of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles was that they had to tell everyone else how to make it and aspirin.
→ More replies→ More replies14
u/pajamakitten Dorset 22d ago
Not exclusively. It just means opium used as a sedative/painkiller in olden times.
→ More replies50
48
→ More replies19
222
u/concretepigeon Wakefield 22d ago
Soy milk has been around for as long as I can remember too.
152
u/melody-calling Yorkshire 22d ago
Almond milk is also at least a thousand years old too
97
u/AnselaJonla Derbyshire 22d ago
Oat milk dates back to at least medieval times.
44
u/lapsedPacifist5 22d ago
Almond milk does, it's in The Forme of Curry (medieval book of recipes) There's no reference to oat milk though.
→ More replies18
u/ThoseThingsAreWeird Lancashire 22d ago
Almond milk does, it's in The Forme of Curry
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8102/pg8102-images.html
Almaund mylke. 9. Almonds blanched and drawn thickish with good broth or water, No. 51. is called thyk mylke, 52. and is called after Almaunde mylke, first and second milk, 116. Almaunds unblaunched, ground, and drawn with good broth, is called mylke, 62. Cow's milk was sometimes used instead of it
The Wiki article for The Forme of Cury has a fairly easily readable recipe for a sauce (also in the link above, but easier to read on Wiki I felt):
Sawse madame. Take sawge, persel, ysope and saueray, quinces and peeres, garlek and grapes, and fylle the gees þerwith; and sowe the hole þat no grece come out, and roost hem wel, and kepe the grece þat fallith þerof. Take galytyne and grece and do in a possynet. Whan the gees buth rosted ynouh, take hem of & smyte hem on pecys, and take þat þat is withinne and do it in a possynet and put þerinne wyne, if it be to thyk; do þerto powdour of galyngale, powdour douce, and salt and boyle the sawse, and dresse þe gees in disshes & lay þe sowe onoward.
→ More replies→ More replies26
u/concretepigeon Wakefield 22d ago
Yeah. I only bring up soy because if we’re looking at it from a UK consumer context then we have to think about what might be misleading to consumers within that context.
I’m 33 and I can remember finding the idea of almond and oat milk novel but I was in no way mislead that they were dairy products and part of that is probably down to the fact that I can’t remember a time when coconut and soy milk weren’t reasonably common products on the market.
→ More replies15
94
u/Jumblesss 22d ago edited 22d ago
Extremely relevant point.
I truly hope this case brought into account the hundreds of other cases of “milk” being used to describe things other than bovine mammary fluid.
God knows how they proved that this was misadvertising anything, nobody would ever be fooled into thinking this was milk.
90
u/Zealousideal_Day5001 22d ago
I think the meat and dairy industry might have some powerful lobbyists and a lot of money behind it, and sees this as a 'win'. I'm skeptical that the judges were taking a sober-headed look at the facts and think they might have been influenced.
→ More replies60
u/The_Flurr 22d ago
I think the meat and dairy industry might have some powerful lobbyists and a lot of money behind it,
This just straight up is the case.
Dairy alternatives are getting popular enough to make a small but noticeable dent in dairy revenue, so the lobbyists are trying to fight it.
→ More replies31
u/pajamakitten Dorset 22d ago
I truly hope this case brought into account the hundreds of other cases of “milk” being used to describe things other than bovine mammary fluid.
We need to talk about fish fingers at the same time.
→ More replies55
u/JeremyWheels 22d ago
Lots of worried faces at Big Peanut Butter HQ this morning....and Hot Dog Towers in NYC
33
u/According_Parfait680 22d ago
You'd imagine on this basis there will be a swift and successful appeal. Case was clearly heard by some gravy stained Daily Mail reading fossil.
→ More replies27
u/No-Bar7826 22d ago
Hey, my ancestors proudly milked free-range coconuts, a tradition I carry on to this very day.
coconut noises
→ More replies8
u/readituser5 22d ago
I think they only care because it’s a threat, which is messed up.
→ More replies
1.0k
u/LoccyDaBorg 22d ago
It should start branding itself "nilk" just to wind them up.
If anyone asks, it's a portmanteau of "not milk" and thus in full compliance with their wishes.
267
120
u/P-a-ul 22d ago
I can see the adverts already...
The camera cuts to some attractive smiley people using it on their cereal, in their coffee etc and really enjoying themselves, and a giant red rubber stamp that says 'not milk' slams down, with a voiceover from the guy from the Yorkie "not for girls" advert.
→ More replies103
60
u/CoolSector6968 22d ago
Or nnilk with two Ns and font that makes it look like an m
→ More replies15
37
u/SpeedflyChris 22d ago
There is already a vegan milk alternative called Mylk, which is close enough. It's awful though, just stick with oat milk.
→ More replies20
u/waitingtoconnect 22d ago
The ruling will to my understanding rule out alternative spellings as well.
Needless to say though the difference is obvious. In this tea loving nation are people really that thick?
→ More replies11
u/ChiliSquid98 22d ago
But why?
→ More replies31
u/theorem_llama 22d ago
Because the law is illogical and big dairy.
10
u/ChiliSquid98 22d ago
Well I'm petty and I will emphasise the word "milk" now when I get my milk alternative. "Can I have that with oat MILK not cows MILK please thankyou"
13
34
u/HaggisNipsAndTitties 22d ago
Or maybe it could be "no, not milk", and they could brand themselves as "nnilk"
→ More replies11
12
→ More replies8
819
u/Express-Doughnut-562 22d ago
Oatly are going to dine out on this and use it to their advantage big time.
Looking forward to it to be honest.
233
u/original_subliminal 22d ago
I would love it if they would go so far as to lead with “big milk is a cry-baby, they only want milk from the titty”. They won’t, but it would be brilliant.
→ More replies79
u/Express-Doughnut-562 22d ago
Honestly I can see mammary secretions appearing in some form. A giant Oat tit in a high street, secreting into a glass where they ask members of the public to try it and ask if its better for coming from boob.
There's a PR office somewhere in London have a very fun morning I imagine.
→ More replies77
u/WebDevWarrior 22d ago
They should rebrand over their cartons...
BETTER THAN MILK - WE DON'T STEAL FROM BABY COWS
In a big rubber stamp
You're welcome Oatly.
→ More replies38
u/echoattempt 22d ago
This ruling wouldn't allow them to use the word milk anywhere on their packaging.
They already have to call themselves "oat drink" so this ruling is to disallow them the phrase "post milk generation" on their cartons. Absolutely insane.
→ More replies22
710
u/rustyb42 22d ago
Cool, anyway I'll have an flat white with oat milk please
275
u/robot20307 22d ago
please dont say that you've just made Jeremy Clarkson sad.
136
43
→ More replies14
97
u/mynameisollie 22d ago
I’ll have a flat white with colloidal suspension of oat particles in water please.
→ More replies62
u/rustyb42 22d ago
Barista "so oat milk, yes?"
46
17
→ More replies94
u/Express-Doughnut-562 22d ago
The mad thing is that this doesnt' seem to be about calling it 'oat milk' - Oatly call it oat drink. It's because they have a trademark of 'post-milk generation', which is what they've got their knickers in a twist about. Its mad because it's clearly differentiating Oatly as not milk.
I also like that slogan because, at the very muddy Blue Dot festival last year, Oatly handed out a billion free socks with that slogan on, preventing me getting trench foot.
44
u/Teal-Fox 22d ago
This is the bit that seems wild to me, as I've always perceived Oatly to be more aggressive with the "not milk" marketing than others.
Of all the not milk products to pick on, this seems a strange choice.
15
u/echoattempt 22d ago
I imagine it's because Oatly are one of the biggest competitors to the dairy industry in the UK. Their brand is almost synonymous with oat milk, ask for oat milk in pretty much any coffee shop and it's likely to be Oatly.
→ More replies25
u/Dicky__Anders 22d ago
Does the UK dairy industry and the judge not know what "post milk generation" means?
It literally just means they don't drink milk anymore. Am I being dumb here? Seriously, what's the problem with that? Am I the idiot or is the UK dairy industry stupid?
→ More replies14
337
u/Spirited_Ordinary_24 22d ago
This is dumb, I don’t drink the stuff personally (my partner does) but no one is going to confuse it for real milk and it’s used as a substitute. As far as milk alternatives it’s probably one of the best because it doesn’t have as strong flavour compared to soy or almond milk and goes well in a latte
63
u/-_-0_0-_-0_0-_-0_0 22d ago edited 22d ago
I mean there definitely can be issues with products misrepresenting what they are. But I think the standard has to be would your average consumer be confused what they are buying at a glance. In this case, Oat is in the name, it was labeled as oat milk, I don't think they ever had confusing imagery like cows on the packaging. I don't see where the confusion would come from. That said for the sub 80 IQ among us if it were me I would have said they have to put something like "vegan alternative" clearly and prominently on the packaging if they want the word milk on the packaging, I assume they already have this tbh.
That said if compelling evidence was presented that showed people were getting confused by the product I would agree with the ruling. But I don't think that is even how they determine these things.
37
u/SpeechesToScreeches 22d ago
Do Turkey Dinosaurs have to have a disclaimer that they are in fact, not dinosaurs?
No. This is simply to protect the animal agriculture industry and the ruling is corrupt.
→ More replies11
u/echoattempt 22d ago
They are already not allowed to describe their product as milk. This ruling is about using the trademark "post milk generation" on their packaging. It's why soy milk has to be labeled as soy drink, vegan cheese as just "vegan block" or "vegan grated" or "plant based mature" or "vegan alternative" so absolutely no mention of milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. So this ruling has nothing to do with consumers being confused with what the product actually is, they've already won that battle some time ago.
→ More replies52
u/Sea-Measurement6757 22d ago
It isn’t to prove anything, they’re not worried about people getting confused, the dairy industry is trying its hardest to shut down non dairy milk.
→ More replies20
u/headphones1 22d ago
My other half has a lot of family members who work in various parts of agriculture. It's actually quite bizarre how many of them are bothered by people who choose animal product alternatives, or eat entirely plant based. Like, I get it, if dietary changes of people can affect your livelihood, then it's quite scary to think about what can happen if animal products die off some day. To then go on the offensive against people who don't want to eat what you make is just weird though.
→ More replies16
u/RockinOneThreeTwo Liverpool 22d ago
There's plenty of unhinged fuckwits who do this exact thing and don't work anywhere close to the industry, it's hardly surprising that a bunch of people permanently stuck at the mental age of 12 have latched onto this as a "battle of the culture war" even if their wallet would be totally unaffected.
Christ when I was 14 about two decades ago I used to be one of those dickheads, then I grew up, realised I was wrong and just being obstinate and ignorant, and now I've decided to be on the correct side of history for this whole thing. The problem is many people don't get to the "growing up" stage because it's easier for them to make a fool of themselves in effort to "protect" their pride than do the adult thing and learn, grow and improve themselves -- doubly easy when the majority of society will defend them for it too.
→ More replies
294
u/BatVisual5631 22d ago
I’m not vegan and I bloody love dairy, but I have never bought a vegan alternative by mistake. This is petty protectionism at its worst.
70
u/HerrSPAM 22d ago
Whereas I have had "lactose free milk" bought for my wife (dairy intolerant and vegan) under the assumption it was vegan as opposed to some weird cow milk.
This is quite sad that it only works one way
20
u/LDinthehouse 22d ago
The moron that bought that for you is clearly the reason most brands have to put a picture of a cow on the carton.
If blue top just says "whole milk", do they think it's a gamble which animal it has come from?
→ More replies→ More replies13
u/lostparis 22d ago
under the assumption it was vegan
Never assume anything is vegan - milk solids end up in the most obscure products. Always read the label and know some key non-vegan ingredients like gelatine.
→ More replies37
u/newfor2023 22d ago
It's about product positioning. They don't want it by the cows milk cos people might pick the alternatives. Same as veggie sausages in the sausages section. They want it on the 'alternatives' section preferably somewhere after the milk section.
26
u/chemfem 22d ago
Which is funny because M&S have just integrated all their vegan range into their other shelves ( so vegan sausages with meat sausages etc) and the vegan subreddit nearly rioted. I prefer having a veggie section rather than having to trawl through aisles that I mostly won’t eat.
→ More replies12
u/Arcade-Gaynon 22d ago
I got to say, I get really annoyed learning a vegetarian product was hidden in some aisle for months that I would have bought otherwise.
→ More replies15
u/forgottenoldusername North 22d ago edited 22d ago
I'm also not vegan but I'm horribly allergic to animal milk
This mistake could literally kill me.
You know how many times I've grabbed cows milk instead of plant milk through confusion?
Mate all the time. I'm constantly in anaphylaxis because it's just impossible to tell the difference between all these types of milk 😡
I for one, am so glad this ruling has taken place, I can finally enjoy my coffee without playing a milky russian roulette!
Edit - I was being sarcastic. I am allergic to milk, but I can assure you not once have I sat down for a coffee and put cows milk in it. I was trying to highlight the fact if there was confusion, it could kill me - but quite clearly there is not confusion.
→ More replies
155
u/Dordymechav 22d ago
That seems ridiculous. You can 'milk' anything. Milk doesn't just comes ftom dairy animals.
144
u/OkWarthog6382 22d ago
Can you milk me Greg?
61
→ More replies12
38
u/RockinOneThreeTwo Liverpool 22d ago
The etymology of the word was even first used linked to plants if I recall correctly, but obviously animal ag and it's supporters are determined to prove to the world that they're still children mentally
9
u/thats_not_the_quote 22d ago
the original definition of 'meat' was literally just 'any non-liquid you consume'
we still eat the flesh of a fruit
25
u/JeremyWheels 22d ago
This a massive own goal that just makes the dairy industry look weak and threatened. Pretty sure oatly will come up with a way to exploit that in their marketing, which is pretty combative
→ More replies→ More replies10
127
u/brapmaster2000 22d ago
Fuck sake. Just make them put 'Cow's Milk' on milk from a cow.
84
u/readituser5 22d ago edited 22d ago
But that just reminds people they’re drinking bovine titty juice for babies!
“We need to own milk™! We can’t let them have it! It confuses people! They’ll realise they can drink other forms of milk other than our cough cough
not cow(don’t think, just drink) milk™.→ More replies→ More replies53
u/DjurasStakeDriver 22d ago
My best friend worked as a barista for a while, and the company used the term “cow milk”. You would be amazed at how an accurate term managed to rile people up so much.
“Would you like oat milk or cow milk?” “Cow milk!? Why are you calling it that!? It’s just NORMAL MILK!”
Before long my friend had had enough of dealing with such people every day and quit.
→ More replies16
111
u/BobBobBobBobBobDave 22d ago
I think this is a bit bullshit, tbh.
The term "milk" is regularly used for things which aren't actually dairy, E. G. Coconut milk, beauty products, etc. And I don't think it is likely that anyone could mistake Oatly for dairy milk, as the packaging is very clear.
→ More replies23
93
u/Muffinlessandangry 22d ago
Damn straight! Also peanut butter and cocoa butter aren't butter, butter milk is neither milk nor butter, and coconut milk doesn't come from coconut nipples!Glamorgan sausages aren't sausage, and dragon sausages have no dragon in them (the Welsh have a lot to answer for in the sausage aisle), swedes are definitely false advertising as they're not Scandinavian in the slightest, the shepherds pie has zero shepherd in it (apparently it's lamb? That's like the opposite of a shepherd) but im assuming cottage pies still have bits of masonry in them so we're good on that front.
It's high time the advertisment standards took into account the fact that we're all idiots and unable to understand the mutable nature of language and inability to cope with new things.
18
→ More replies16
u/CastleMeadowJim Nottingham 22d ago
Can't wait for lemon curd, mincemeat, and fruit leather to be taken down a peg.
12
69
u/Remote_Associate1705 22d ago
Is this the same dairy industry that markets the milk being sold as healthy? Gotcha.
→ More replies
61
u/According_Parfait680 22d ago
Funny how these dairy farmers are too impoverished to pay inheritance tax on their multimillion pound properties but can club together to fight expensive legal cases and fund lobby groups.
→ More replies23
u/brapmaster2000 22d ago
Two different entities. Farmers sell to big dairies.
Dairy companies don't give two shits about inheritance tax.
17
u/According_Parfait680 22d ago
The case was brought by Dairy UK a trade body that represents farmers and dairy companies.
→ More replies
58
u/Sea-Measurement6757 22d ago
“Soy milk” has been around since 25-225AD. Europeans were calling it milk in the 17th century. Dairy doesn’t “own” the word milk
→ More replies9
u/SpaceTimeCapsule89 22d ago
There's also beauty products and medicines that have the term milk in them and have for a very long time and it's never been an issue.
The dictionary still regards milk as the secretions from a human or animal though.
People will still call it oat milk though. I can't adapt to it being called an oat drink. I don't use oat milk myself but I work in childcare and we offer cow's milk and oat milk. I can't imagine sitting with a parent at a visit and saying would you like your child to have milk or an oat drink 😂. I would say would you like them to have cow's milk or oat milk!
→ More replies
45
u/lodge28 United Kingdom 22d ago
Farmers have become quite uppity about stupid things recently. The denial of their stupidity back in 2016 however remains a mystery.
→ More replies
36
u/DjurasStakeDriver 22d ago
This is pathetic. And reeks of desperation from the dairy industry to discredit oat milk as more and more people turn to dairy alternatives that are far better for both our health and the environment.
If we are going to talk about false advertising, the dairy industry should stop pretending that dairy cows are in any way treated well, or happy. They are forcefully inseminated and their calves are taken from them at birth.
→ More replies12
u/UnemployedAthiest 22d ago
I'm gonna be completely honest, this kind of scummy behaviour might actually make me switch to non-dairy alternatives. I think for a lot of people spite against industries that have awful practices is a big factor (bullying competitors is just an example, I know the dairy industry is terrible in many other ways). This news just informs more people, so they're really shooting themselves in the foot.
→ More replies
25
u/samcornwell Scottish Borders 22d ago
Side note: absolutely love the chocolate oatly if it’s chilled.
→ More replies
20
u/jtthom 22d ago
I thought this was old news? They’ve been calling themselves an “oat drink” for as long as I can remember
→ More replies27
u/SuitableImposter 22d ago
Think that was an EU ruling and they were looking for a different ruling in the UK. In hindsight that was a real unlikely outcome
20
u/brainburger London 22d ago
Dr Judith Bryans, the chief executive of Dairy UK, praised the decision. 'We're delighted that the Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of Dairy UK in the case regarding the trade mark 'Post Milk Generation',' she said. 'This unanimous decision reinstates the Intellectual Property Office's original decision, which declared the trade mark invalid for oat-based products.'
This seems odd, as the trade mark 'post milk generation' entails that it's not milk. I don't see the logic of banning any mention of milk in the marketing.
Perhaps the judge owns a farm for tax avoidance purposes?
→ More replies10
u/continuousQ 22d ago
So if they ran with the trademark "Oatly is not milk" would the dairy industry sue for that too?
→ More replies
14
u/Hairy-gloryhole 22d ago
A favorable ruling for a dairy industry just in time for a major scandal that might impact their sales and pr? What a coincidence! /s
14
u/PunR0cker 22d ago
How did this ruling happen. It's such an obvious attempt at market manipulation with so many glaringly evident holes in the argument. So stupid.
→ More replies
17
u/Atrixer 22d ago edited 22d ago
Think of the poor animal agriculture industry! Those poor people have had their process of impregnating cows until they can’t stand and stealing their babies damaged by the terrible and evil vegans, drinking their disgusting and unnatural other products.
This kind of ruling is just laughable. Most the cartons already say Oat Drink and everybody knows it and will still call it milk. Simply a petty and useless ruling to protect a dying and unprofitable industry that our taxes are already being wasted on propping up.
→ More replies
13
u/willcodefordonuts 22d ago
Honestly this is so helpful and I welcome this ruling. I’ve been buying oat milk and soy milk for years - we even ask for it if we go to a cafe.
I had absolutely no idea it wasn’t real milk? I thought oat and soy were like artisanal breeds of cow or something like that?
Also my local milk man will deliver this oat “milk” do you think I could sue for false advertising?
→ More replies
12
u/GiveOverAlready 22d ago
'Post Milk Generation' isn't even calling the product itself milk. It's basically Pepsi's 'The Choice of a New Generation' revamped.
11
12
u/LandmineCat 22d ago
Cartons in the supermarket have said "Oat Drink" or "Soya Drink" instead of milk for a couple of years now. And still, literally nobody actually calls them anything other than "Oat Milk" and "Soya Milk" and no amount of petty lobbying by the dairy industry is going to change that its cemented into language.
11
u/theorem_llama 22d ago
I'm going to stop buying cow milk in protest of this. Fuck you big dairy, this is idiotic.
→ More replies
8
u/popsand 22d ago
I've been noticing all alternative "milks" have slowly started calling themselves drinks.
This explains it.
Absurd.
→ More replies
•
u/ukbot-nicolabot Scotland 22d ago
This article may be paywalled. If you encounter difficulties reading the article, try this link for an archived version.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
Participation Notice. Hi all. Some posts on this subreddit, either due to the topic or reaching a wider audience than usual, have been known to attract a greater number of rule breaking comments. As such, limits to participation were set at 10:51 on 05/12/2024. We ask that you please remember the human, and uphold Reddit and Subreddit rules.
Existing and future comments from users who do not meet the participation requirements will be removed. Removal does not necessarily imply that the comment was rule breaking.
Where appropriate, we will take action on users employing dog-whistles or discussing/speculating on a person's ethnicity or origin without qualifying why it is relevant.
In case the article is paywalled, use this link.