US health regulators will stop defining 18 types of dairy products

US health regulators plan to remove 18 official definitions for dairy products. This means companies will have more freedom to label and market products like certain cheeses and yogurts without meeting specific government standards.

For decades, if you wanted to sell a product called "Swiss cheese" or "yogurt," it had to meet a precise government recipe. These "standards of identity" were meant to protect consumers from being misled. Removing them means food companies can innovate with ingredients and processes without needing regulatory approval for every small change. It also means consumers will need to read labels more carefully.