A shopper reaches for a milk product at a supermarket in Lawrenceville, N.J. A national dairy group is petitioning the FDA so that only milk from cows could be labeled as milk.

Enlarge By Matthew S. Gunby, AP Holstein cows are seen grazing in a field in Easton, Md. The National Milk Producers Federation is railing against the "bastardization of dairy terms." MILK AND MILK ALTERNATIVES MILK AND MILK ALTERNATIVES 2009 sales of milk and milk alternatives in gallons: Cow's milk: 3 billion Soymilk: 70 million Rice drink: 2 million Horchata (Mexican rice drink): 1.3 million Goat milk: 0.6 million Source: Symphony IRI Group Got milk? The National Milk Producers Federation says you don't, not if what you grab from the dairy case today is soy, rice or almond milk. For the second time in 10 years, the federation has written to the Food and Drug Administration asking that the term "milk" be reserved for cow's milk, although it's OK with also using the word for goat, sheep or water buffalo milk — any of the various "mammalian lacteal secretions." The federation says the FDA should require that plant-based beverages be labeled something else, noting terms such as "drinks," "beverages" or even "imitation milk." 'RAW MILK': Advocates, health officials step up dispute LACTOSE: 60% of world can't digest milk VIDEO: NYC chef makes cheese from another kind of milk: human The FDA is "letting the bastardization of dairy terms proliferate," says federation spokesman Christopher Galen. The group has even launched a Facebook page: "They Don't Got Milk." "We had to do something," Galen says. Over the past decade, such drinks have expanded from just soymilk, a millennia-old Asian beverage, to include "milks" from a variety of plants, including hemp and peanuts. With an increase in those who perceive plant-derived products as healthier and a growing Asian population accustomed to soymilk, the market for non-dairy "milk" products as well as non-dairy cheeses, yogurts and ice creams is on the increase. In 1996, the market for soymilk was $124 million. In 2008, it was more than $1 billion, says Nancy Chapman, executive director of the Soyfoods Association of North America. Sales of cow's milk were about $12.3 billion for 2008, says research firm Symphony IRI Group. It was the soymilk producers who first went to the FDA, in 1996, to ask that soymilk be allowed as a "common and usual name" for their product. The FDA never responded. The National Milk Producers group filed its first protest letter about the term "soymilk" in 2000 but received no answer, Galen says. In a subsequent letter to the FDA, the Soyfoods Association argued that as long as the word "milk" was qualified by "soy," consumers wouldn't be confused. The FDA seems inclined to stay out of it this round as well. "We evaluate all these communications, but we plan our actions based on what will make the most impact for the public health," says spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more