U.S. dairy industry faces lawsuits over dairy diet

By Alexandra Mayer-Hohdahl Jul 4, 2005, 8:35 GMT

Washington - A woman who gained weight after going on a dairy-based diet widely advertised by the dairy industry has sued several dairy producers and three trade groups, claiming that they are running a "massive, deceptive advertising campaign", according to court filings.

Catherine Holmes of Arlington, Virginia, said she put on approximately 1.5 kilogrammes after following advertisements that suggest that an increased consumption of dairy products leads to weight loss.

Backed by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Holmes filed one lawsuit seeking to block the dairy industry's multi- million dollar advertising campaign and another lawsuit asking for damages for Holmes, who allegedly spent more than 200 dollars on extra dairy products.

"We are serving notice with these lawsuits that we will not continue to let these false health claims go unchallenged," PCRM's Senior Legal Counsel Dan Kinburn said in a press release.

PCRM has said that only two out of 35 studies since the 1980s have linked dairy products and weight loss. Both studies were led by Michael Zemel, a scientist who allegedly has received research grants valued at more than 1 million dollars from the National Dairy Council.

But a dairy industry spokesperson said that the advertisements, which suggest among other things that three servings of dairy products a day are beneficial for weight loss, have been misinterpreted by the activists.

Stacey Stevens, a spokesperson for Dairy Management Inc., one of the trade groups named in the lawsuit, said that three servings of milk, cheese or yogurt a day can help with weight loss when coupled with an existing diet plan.

"When you include three servings of dairy products in the context of a reduced-calorie diet, it will help with weight loss," Stevens said, citing "extensive" nutrition studies.

Stevens also said that PCRM has been linked to the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and that these lawsuits are a ploy to discourage people from consuming animal- related products.

Stevens said she does not believe the lawsuits will affect the dairy industry's sales.

"The activists are pulling out all the stops," she said. "But we believe their claims are really unfounded."