The New York Times reports that the dairy industry has decided to curtail a marketing and advertising campaign that positions milk as a weight loss aid because of a ruling by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) saying that scientific research does not support the claim. The argument against the ads seems to hinge on the suggestion that while dairy products can be a healthy addition in one’s diet, they have been included in federal dietary guidelines more because of the dairy industry’s lobbying muscle than because of rigorous scientific research.
The dairy industry, on the other hand, argues that dairy products promote
The ads, according to the Times, “feature slogans like ‘Milk your diet. Lose weight!’ and suggest that three servings of dairy products a day can help people be slim.
“The effort includes a campaign called ‘Body by Milk’ that is aimed at teenagers. It features Alex Rodriguez, the third baseman for the New York Yankees, and Carrie Underwood, an ‘American Idol’ winner.
“The assertion that there is a link between weight loss and dairy consumption has long been contested by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an advocacy and research group that promotes a diet free of animal products.”
The dairy industry, on the other hand, argues that dairy products promote
The ads, according to the Times, “feature slogans like ‘Milk your diet. Lose weight!’ and suggest that three servings of dairy products a day can help people be slim.
“The effort includes a campaign called ‘Body by Milk’ that is aimed at teenagers. It features Alex Rodriguez, the third baseman for the New York Yankees, and Carrie Underwood, an ‘American Idol’ winner.
“The assertion that there is a link between weight loss and dairy consumption has long been contested by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an advocacy and research group that promotes a diet free of animal products.”
- KC's View:
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The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine must love people like us, who go out of their way to sample whale steaks because, well, why not?
No matter what they say, we’re going to continue to insist that our kids drink milk and consume other dairy products because it is good for their bone health and general nutrition. And we find it hard to believe that we think this because of lobbying and advertising muscle…
It’s funny, but when we read stories like this, we immediately start to daydream about these physicians’ children going off to school each morning trying to score a hit of milk, or some guy on a street corner trying to get them hooked on cheddar, or maybe, in rich neighborhoods, camembert…
