Suit: Dairy industry weight-loss ads false

WASHINGTON – A physicians group contends that the dairy industry and several food companies are falsely claiming that dairy consumption can help people lose weight.

In a class action lawsuit obtained Monday, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine takes aim at industry-funded TV and print ads which claim that consuming 24 ounces of fat-free or lowfat dairy per day can help the body burn fat. The group plans to file the suit today.

The physicians committee, which advocates a vegan diet, asks a district court in Virginia to issue an injunction banning the ads. The filing claims that most scientific evidence shows people will either gain pounds or remain the same weight when increasing dairy consumption.

One of the defendants in the case is the International Dairy Foods Association, a trade group that represents food manufacturers that use dairy products. A spokeswoman for the group, Susan Ruland, denied the allegations, saying that many studies back up the industry’s position.

“We have been very conservative and careful in the messaging that’s been developed,” Ruland said. “The claims are reviewed by the USDA. We can see no basis for this suit other than to get attention for the animal rights agenda.”

Two other defendants in the case, the National Dairy Council and Dairy Management Inc., which promote U.S. dairy consumption, said the IDFA speaks for them as well.

“Obesity is a serious problem,” said the physicians committee president, Neal Barnard. “This is a completely bogus solution.”