The dispute began late last year after Miyoko’s was told by the Department of Food & Agriculture to drop the terms ‘butter,’ ‘lactose-free,’ hormone-free’ and ‘cruelty-free,’ from its plant-based butter product (which is made from coconut oil, sunflower oil and cashew nuts) because “it is not a dairy product.” Miyoko’s – which said it was given no choice but to develop custom packaging for California (“creating a logistical nightmare”), change marketing and packaging materials nationwide at huge expense, or risk prosecution – filed a lawsuit* in February 2020 in a bid to prevent the State from enforcing its demands, which Miyoko’s argued violated its First Amendment rights.
Source: Round one goes to Miyoko’s in ‘plant-based butter’ dispute with State of California