A watchdog group is asking the Food & Drug Administration to quell claims from dairy marketers that drinking milk helps dieters lose weight.
The group also petitioned the Federal Trade Commission in April, arguing that weight-loss claims from eight food companies and three marketing agencies constitute false advertising.
Neither government office has acted on past petitions from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and the FTC and FDA are unlikely to take action against dairy marketers in this case.
The group last week filed its petition with the FDA against marketing groups International Dairy Foods Association, Dairy Management, Inc., National Dairy Council; marketers The Dannon Co., General Mills (Yoplait), Kraft Foods, McNeil Nutritionals (Lactaid) and Lifeway Foods; and agencies Draft, Lowe & Partners and Weber Shandwick, who collaborate on the National Dairy Council’s “24/24 Milk Your Diet. Lose Weight!” campaign. (That effort won a 2004 Gold Reggie for the Promotion Marketing Association.)
The group asked the FDA to recall or seize “misbranded food products” that carry a weight-loss claim. The Washington, DC-based group argues that the claims are based on limited research. The IDFA’s Milk Processors Education Program (MilkPEP), which runs the “24 in 24” campaign, cites research from 23 studies on its Web site, 2424milk.com.
“The dairy/weight connection is well-supported in scientific literature. We stand behind our promotions and ad messages,” said Stacey Stevens, director of nutrition affairs and communications for the National Dairy Council.
The FDA will review the petition, but won’t comment on pending petitions that are before the agency for review, a spokeswoman said.
The non-profit group filed a separate petition with the FTC in April, asking the commission to block dairy marketers’ weight-loss claims. The FTC is reviewing the petition, a spokesperson said. The FTC has not contacted the National Dairy Council about that petition, Stevens said.
