Monday, May 10, 2021

Doctors sue to stop dairy promotion

Vegan doctors are suing the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to stop promoting the dairy industry.


The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and a three doctors affiliated claim that USDA dietary guidelines urge Americans to double the average consumption of dairy products.


That, they say, has everything to do with protecting and promoting dairy farmers, but little or nothing to do with nutrition.


The guidelines are voluntary, except they are followed in diets for prisoners, members of the armed services military, school lunch programs and other government-funded programs.


The lawsuit asks the court to order the USDA to stop promoting dairy products, stop «equating ‘protein’ with meat, and stop “hiding” what the plaintiffs claim are ”the ill effects of consuming meat and dairy products.”


They note that a quarter of Americans are lactose intolerant, including most Asians, African Americans, Ashkenazi Jews, Native Americans, and Latinos.


The dairy industry in the United States and Canada always lobbies strenuously when the federal governments review their dietary guidelines. It should not, therefore, surprise them that some people disagree.