Vegan Dairy Brand Miyoko's Allowed To Use 'Butter' Label After Winning Legal Battle
Litigation - Article Series from All-Creatures.org Articles Archive

FROM Liam Gilliver, PlantBasedNews.org
August 2020

The company has also been granted permission to use the labels 'cruelty-free' and 'lactose-free.'

'Our vegan BUTTER is CRUELTY-FREE' (Photos: Miyoko's. Edited by PBN)

Vegan dairy brand Miyoko's has been granted permission by the United States District Court Northern District of California to use the terms 'butter', 'cruelty-free', and 'lactose-free' when labeling its products.

The ruling follows a legal battle between plaintiff Miyoko's Kitchen and defendants Karen Ross (from the California Department of Food Agriculture) and Stephen Beam (in his capacity as Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch Chief).

The Motion for Preliminary Injunction also states Miyoko's can not use labels such as 'hormone-free' or 'Revolutionizing Dairy with Plants' - as previously used on its website.

'Most delicious butter on the planet'

Celebrating the win on Facebook, Miyoko's said: "Victory! Our use of the word "butter" has been deemed to merit First Amendment protection, according to the United States District Court Northern District of California...

"Yes, our vegan BUTTER is CRUELTY-FREE. No cows are harmed in the making of the most delicious butter on the planet!

"Thank you, Animal Legal Defense Fund for fighting the good fight for us!"

COVID-19

Earlier this year, Miyoko's pledged to give out more than 1,500 vegan grilled cheese sandwiches a week to hospital workers and people in need - amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The company distributed the sandwiches using its food truck, after plans to tour around the U.S to promote its new products has been postponed due to the crisis.

According to VegNews, Miyoko's Creamery Founder and CEO Miyoko Schinner, aka the Queen of vegan cheese, said: "Repurposing our food truck is the least we can do for our heroes on the front line and people who are now struggling in our communities.

"While bringing cheese crafted from plants to consumers is about creating a more compassionate food system, compassion also extends to how we treat each other day in and day out."

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