The National Diary Council has been claiming for years that eating dairy is part of a healthy diet and helps you lose weight. Well, the Federal Trade Commission finally called them on it. An article was published in The New York Times (read article here), and later in VegNews. “The FTC’s ruling came in response to a petition submitted in 2005 by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCMR), which charged that the Dairy Council was misleading the Public.” You may have noticed these dairy commercials adjusting their recommendations from 2 servings a day up to 3 servings. Apparently a ploy to increase their profits. The one study that supposedly backs these recommendations, and was deemed not enough conclusive evidence to support their claim, was a study funded by none other than the dairy industry itself. “Milk and cheese are more likely to pack on pounds than help people slim down.” -Dan Kilbourn of PCMR. PCMR is a an advocacy and research group that promotes diets that do not contain animal products. Thanks to the efforts of PCMR and the ruling of the FTC, The National Dairy Council will be removing the weight loss claims from its website, and will no longer be airing those commercials.

This is a reminder to be wary of what giant food industries, like the $50 billion dairy industry, claim. Many of them are more interested in making money than making you healthy.