I most often recognize it on frozen pizza boxes or "off-brand" or local brand dairy products like butter and cheese. Most recently I saw this logo on some cottage cheese that I was considering over a slightly higher-priced competitor. I ended up buying the cheaper cottage cheese when I realized the ingredients were the same and I was saving money.
The logo made me nervous. For some reason I have been under the impression that this logo is a misleading scam peddling faux-hydrogenated cheese as "REAL" dairy. I think I may have heard something derogatory about the seal years ago and hung onto to some snippet out of context. Maybe I've watched too many documentaries-but thanks to those documentaries I'm finally learning about this mysterious logo!
The "REAL Seal" is actually managed through Dairy Management Inc. which includes these various affiliates: American Dairy Association, National Dairy Council, and US Dairy Export Council. Interestingly the DMI site includes this tagline, "DMI helps build demand for dairy on behalf of dairy producers and is dedicated to the success of the dairy industry."
The seal may represent products that have followed certain requirements to be approved as "real" dairy the seal is a tool of a private organization working for the success of the dairy industry. Don't get me wrong-I love me some dairy. I've made deals with various friends that if they ever conquer the world I'll become "Dairy Queen" and run their dairy functions for them. I think pushin' dairy is a good thing, I just wonder where the government is when it comes to monitoring dairy product quality?
Apparently the FDA and USDA has some say on what "quality" means, but it is subjective. Kinda sad hat artificial flavors and preservatives have become a part of "quality" food.
I'm not the only one talkin' bout it!
I'm no longer afraid of the REAL seal, but I'll stick to my label reading rather than depend on a private company's logo. I don't think DMI is out to sucker anyone and I know that the feds don't necessarily keep the masses best interests at heart, but I'm certainly curious about federal regulations and dairy product quality control. So far my internet perusing have shown federal regulations concerning pasteurization and not necessarily the quality of dairy products.
You may think, "so, what's the big stink?" Just read a few labels and see what's really in your "food," it can be surprised what is considered "natural" or "wholesome" in today's market. Just think about "fruit flavored beverages" marketed as fruit juice?
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Be well, HBF