If you’ve strolled past the dairy case lately, you might have noticed that it has grown to ranch-size proportions. Dozens of products are labeled “milk,” and they spill over onto the nonrefrigerated shelves.

Gone are the days when selecting a carton of milk was simple: whole or skim.

Just look at the choices. Low-fat hemp milk for your cornflakes? Omega-3 organic in your coffee? How about some grass-fed goat milk?

For their part, milk producers are not happy with all the beverages that call themselves “milk” on shelves.

The nation’s dairy farmers have asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require nondairy products to be labeled something other than “milk.”

“We’re not saying products that come from grains, seeds, nuts and so on shouldn’t be on the shelves, only that they be labeled ‘artificial milk’ or ‘imitation milk,’” said Chris Galen, spokesman for the National Milk Producers Federation. (The federation has a Facebook page devoted to the effort, called “They Don’t Got Milk.”)

A spokesman for the Texas Association of Dairymen said that although he doesn’t see the proliferation of “milk” products as a positive development, he tries to look on the bright side. “It’s almost like flattery — they want to be related to the natural goodness of milk, but milk alone has it,” Darren Turley said.

Meanwhile, the FDA recently responded to the milk producers federation with a letter saying that the agency is currently focusing its efforts elsewhere.

In any case, for consumers, sorting through the health claims is enough to make you feel cowed. You could spend a whole morning reading labels.

We’ve taken a look at 11 popular “milk” beverages. We’ve noted their major ingredients, whether they’re a dairy product, calories, calcium, cholesterol, price and what registered dietitians have to say about them.

Chalk it up to the milk of human kindness.

Notes: Prices are per half-gallon except where noted and may vary by store. Brand names used for this story are indicated in parentheses. “RDA” means recommended daily allowance, as outlined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Almond milk (Blue Diamond)/ Major ingredients: Filtered water, almonds Dairy? No Calories per 8 ounces: 40 Calcium RDA: 20 percent Cholesterol: 0 milligrams Price: $2 Dietitian says: The calcium is added, as opposed to occurring naturally as in dairy products and is not as well-absorbed by the body. This applies to most nondairy milks.

Coconut milk (So Delicious, unsweetened) Major ingredients: Coconut, water, guar gum Dairy? No Calories per 8 ounces: 50 Calcium RDA: 10 percentCholesterol: 0 milligrams Price: $2 Dietitian says: Coconuts are a good source of electrolytes — potassium, magnesium and sodium. Check the label in case the sodium content is high.

Fat-free calcium-enriched for the lactose-intolerant (Lactaid) Major ingredients: Milk, lactase enzyme Dairy? Yes Calories per 8 ounces: 90 Calcium RDA: 50 percent Cholesterol: Fewer than 5 milligrams Price: $3.69 Dietitian says: Helpful for those who suffer from lactose intolerance, which may increase with age.

Goat milk, 1 percent (Meyenberg) Major ingredient: Goat milk Dairy? Yes Calories per 8 ounces: 100 Calcium RDA: 30 percent Cholesterol: 10 milligrams Price: $3.49 Dietitian says: Despite claims, it’s unlikely to ease intolerance, as goat’s milk is nutritionally very similar to cow’s milk.

Fat-free with no rBGH or rBST hormones (Promised Land) Major ingredient: Milk Dairy? Yes Calories per 8 ounces: 90 Calcium RDA: 35 percent Cholesterol: Fewer than 5 milligrams Price: $3.69 Dietitian says: Both rBGH and rBST are growth hormones; some herds are injected to boost milk production. This makes no difference nutritionally. All milk has some of these hormones; cows produce them naturally. Some generic or house-brand milks also are produced without added hormones.

Hemp milk (Living Harvest Tempt, unsweetened) Major ingredients: Filtered water, shelled hemp seed Dairy? No Calories per 8 ounces: 70 Calcium RDA: 30 percent Cholesterol: None Price: $3.99 Dietitian says: Label says “3,700 mg with GLA” and “1,100 mg with SDA.” GLA and SDA are the fatty acids that when broken down provide the good omega-3.

Lactose-free rice milk (Rice Dream) Major ingredients: Water, brown rice, oleic safflower or other oils; vitamin B-12 Dairy? No Calories per 8 ounces: 120 Calcium RDA: 30 percent Cholesterol: None Price: $2.39 Dietitian says: Vitamin B12 is important in metabolism and producing energy, and in preventing anemia. It’s found only in animal foods, so vegans would benefit from using a B12-fortified milk.

Non-GMO soy milk (Silk) Major ingredients: Soybeans, filtered water Dairy? No Calories per 8 ounces: 100 Calcium RDA: 30 percent Cholesterol: None Price: $2.69 Dietitian says: GMO stands for “genetically modified organism,” so this product comes from soybeans whose DNA hasn’t been altered by human engineering. It doesn’t make a huge difference one way or the other, nutritionally. When soybeans are modified, it’s to increase crop yield.

However, some people definitely object to GMOs from an environmental or agricultural standpoint.

Organic oat milk (Pacific Natural Foods) Major ingredients: Filtered water, organic oat groats, oat bran Dairy? No Calories per 8 ounces: 130 Calcium RDA: 30 percent Cholesterol: None Price: $2.99 Dietitian says: A groat is the full oat kernel before it’s smashed flat to make oatmeal.

Soy organic, nonrefrigerated (WestSoy) Major ingredients: Filtered water, organic soybeans; 46 milligrams isoflavones Dairy? No Calories per 8 ounces: 90 Calcium RDA: 4 percent Cholesterol: None Price: $2.39 Dietitian says: There’s pretty solid evidence that isoflavones are good for us. It’s said that they help counteract hot flashes and ameliorate some of estrogen’s damage in the body, but how much effect they have on hormones is open to question.

1 percent designed for children (Borden Plus Kid Builder) Major ingredients: Milk, calcium, vitamins Dairy? Yes Calories per 8 ounces: 130 Calcium RDA: 40 percent Cholesterol: 10 milligrams Price: $2.7 Dietitian says: Milk is usually the No. 1 source for children’s calcium, so this is a good nutrition package. Adults could benefit from this too — most of them aren’t getting enough calcium.