WILL milk by any other name still taste as sweet?

That’s the question Australia’s growing army of non-dairy milk consumers may soon have to answer if dairy farmers get their way.

Almond, soy and rice milks command shelf prices the nation’s cow herders can only dream of but, a dairy industry body says, do not have the same nutritional benefits of cow’s milk.

So, they are leading a new push to have non-dairy alternatives banned from branding themselves as milk.

If successful, it’s a move that will undoubtedly have the nation’s vegan and paleo devotees scoffing into their newly labelled almond plant liquid lattes.

Industry advocacy group Dairy Connect is lobbying to ban all non-animal milks being referred to as such.

Dairy Connect chief executive Shaughn Morgan said non-dairy products lacked the health benefits and nutrition fresh cow’s milk provided and the use of the word milk to describe products from plant sources, such as soy, oat and almond, duped consumers into thinking they were equally as beneficial.

“We have looked at overseas markets and, in most cases, what we describe as mislabeling of processed vegetable products as ‘milk’ is a challenge for dairy producers in most consumer markets,” he said.

“In the USA, the National Milk Producers’ Federation characterises such labelling as a misappropriation of ‘traditional dairy terms’ and says that ‘food labels should clearly and accurately identify the true nature of the food to the consumer’.

“These non-dairy businesses should not be permitted to represent their products as something they are not.”

The group has called for a “truth in labelling” crackdown, which would see non-dairy milks marketed as what they are: plant liquids.

“We do not believe that plant-based milk alternatives have the same nutrient content as cows’ milk,” Mr Morgan said.

“Milk generally contains higher levels of protein and a wider range of vitamins and minerals.

“Children need sufficient protein and energy for normal growth and development.

“If beverages like almond or rice extracts are a regular part of a young child’s diet, other food sources of protein and energy need to replace the protein and energy otherwise provided by milk.

“Plant-based beverages that contain less protein than milk are required to have advice on the label that the product is not suitable as a complete milk replacement for children under 5 years old.”

The new push comes after a rough few years for the nation’s dairy farmers.

Supermarket milk wars that have seen home brand milks sold for one dollar per litre have seen farm gate prices plummet.

As has a dramatic reduction in prices paid by two of Victoria’s biggest milk co-operatives, a sudden move that left many of the state’s farmers struggling with mounting debt.

Demand for non-dairy milk in Australia has increased dramatically in the past five years, and they now command nearly 10 per cent of milk sales.

According to Dairy Connect, plant-based milks generated US$1.4 billion in sales in America last year alone.