WHITEWASHED: How Industry and Government Promote Dairy Junk Foods 1
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Whitewashed How Industry and Government Promote Dairy Junk Foods Michele Simon JUNE 2014 WHITEWASHED: How Industry and Government Promote Dairy Junk Foods 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The United States is in the midst of a public • USDA employees attend checkoff health epidemic due to poor diet. While meetings, monitor activities, and are much of the focus has been on obvious responsible for evaluation of the programs culprits such as sugary soft drinks and fast • Checkoff money is not supposed to be food, dairy foods often get a pass. The used for lobbying but USDA gave $2.1 dairy industry, propped up by government, million to the U.S. Dairy Export Council, has convinced us of the health benefits which lobbies for dairy products overseas of milk and other dairy products. But the • The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld context of how people consume dairy the legality of the checkoff programs as matters. This report shines a light on the “government speech”, finding: “the message shifting patterns of consumption away ... is controlled by the Federal Government” from plain milk toward dairy products laden with sugar, fat, and salt. Fast Food Promotion Despite Checkoff Being for “Generic” Marketing Report Findings • McDonald’s has six dedicated dairy checkoff program employees at its Dairy Consumption Patterns corporate headquarters who work to • Consumption of milk as a beverage has ensure that dairy plays an important role in decreased nearly 50 percent since 1909 McDonald’s product development • About half of all milk is consumed either • The dairy checkoff program helped Taco as flavored milk, with cereal, or in a drink Bell introduce its double steak quesadillas and cheese shreds, which resulted in a four • Nearly half of the milk supply goes to percent increase in the chain’s dairy sales make about 9 billion pounds of cheese and 1.5 billion gallons of frozen desserts--two- • The dairy checkoff program helped Pizza thirds of which is ice cream Hut develop a 3-Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza and the “Summer of Cheese” ad campaign • Cheese is the single largest source of saturated fat in the diet • Between 2009 and 2011, Dominos benefitted from a $35 million partnership • 11 percent of all sugar goes into the with the dairy checkoff program, resulting production of dairy products in the company adding more cheese, with Government Support for Dairy other pizza makers following their lead • The federal government mandates the • Domino’s “Smart Slice” program brought collection of industry fees for “checkoff the pizza to more than 2,000 schools in programs” to promote milk and dairy 2011, with help from the checkoff program WHITEWASHED: How Industry and Government Promote Dairy Junk Foods 2 Dairy Junk Foods in Schools • 70 percent of milk consumed in schools is Recommendations flavored The federal government should stop • USDA’s milk checkoff program promotes mandatory assessments of the dairy “Chocolate Milk Has Muscle” and “Raise industry and put an end to the dairy Your Hand for Chocolate Milk” campaigns to checkoff program. At a minimum: defend chocolate milk 1) Checkoff funding should not promote • Industry leader Dean Foods’ TruMoo is a dairy junk foods that conflict with popular brand sold in schools; one serving dietary guidelines or health programs of TruMoo strawberry milk = 21g of sugar 2) Checkoff funding should not promote • Milk checkoff materials were used to name brands such as Domino’s “Smart change the mind of one school official who Slice” pizza in schools was planning to remove flavored milk 3) Checkoff funding should not promote • The checkoff-supported “Fuel Up to Play” sugary milk in schools program contains health messaging that is contradictory to federal dietary advice 4) Checkoff funding should not be used for the “Fuel Up To Play 60” program • Fuel Up to Play promotes chocolate milk in schools due to questionable benefits in schools as a way for children to “Fuel Up” with protein and vitamins 5) The federal government should closely review checkoff recipients’ Misleading Health Claims by USDA materials to avoid deceptive or Checkoff Program Recipients questionable nutrition and health claims • “Cheese can fit into almost any eating plan” 6) The federal government should • “Process cheese is made from natural conduct better oversight to ensure cheese” checkoff money is not used for lobbying • “Cheese contributes essential nutrients for good health” In Addition: • “Studies show that when chocolate milk 7) The federal government should not is not an option in the school meal line, allow dairy junk foods to be approved many kids don’t drink any milk at all. That as “Smart Snacks” in schools means they completely miss out on essential 8) The federal government should not nutrients they need to think, learn and grow” allow sugary milk in school • “Chocolate milk is the perfect balance 9) The Women’s Infants and Children’s of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and Program should not be exploited by the protein—a combination that can’t be found dairy industry to allow sugary yogurts in any other beverage” 10) State governments such as New York • “What’s more important: a small amount State should stop subsidizing yogurt of added sugar, or missing out completely companies such as Chobani on a powerful package of nutrients?” WHITEWASHED: How Industry and Government Promote Dairy Junk Foods 3 INTRODUCTION The United States is in the midst of a public undermine national public health goals health epidemic due to poor diet. While and contravene federal dietary advice. much of the focus has been on obvious culprits such as sugary soft drinks and fast Switch From Plain Milk food, dairy foods often get a pass. The to Dairy Junk Foods dairy industry, propped up by government, It is no secret that the production and has convinced us of the health benefits consumption of fluid milk has declined of milk and other dairy products. But the steadily over the years. Data from the context of how people consume dairy U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that per capita consumption of The assumption that fluid milk (i.e., milk as a beverage) has decreased nearly 50 percent since 1909.1 eating dairy is essential Americans are now far less likely to drink has created a blind spot a glass of milk with lunch or dinner than when it comes to criticizing they were a generation ago. unhealthy forms of dairy. About half of all fluid milk is consumed as a plain milk beverage, while the other half is consumed either as flavored milk, with cereal, or added to a drink.2 But this matters. This report shines a light on the decline in fluid milk consumption has been shifting patterns of consumption away offset by an increasing demand for other from plain milk toward dairy products dairy products. According to the USDA, laden with sugar, fat, and salt. only one-third of the milk supply is used to This report is not concerned with the debate over whether or not dairy is essential to the diet, or if an excess of About half of all fluid milk dairy consumption contributes to disease. is consumed as a plain milk Rather, the focus is on the promotion of beverage, while the other specific unhealthy dairy products and the government’s role in supporting half is consumed either as dairy industry campaigns. For example, flavored milk, with cereal, this report examines government’s promotion of fast food brands and or added to a drink. other questionable partnerships that WHITEWASHED: How Industry and Government Promote Dairy Junk Foods 4 example, the introduction of flavored milks, Each year, nearly half of the different types of dessert and fruit yogurts, and reduced-fat cheese varieties).4 But the milk supply goes to make biggest factor driving the dramatic rise in about nine billion pounds of demand for these and other dairy products cheese and 1.5 billion gallons is the dairy industry’s multi-million dollar marketing effort aimed at convincing of frozen desserts–two-thirds consumers that dairy is a health food. of which is ice cream. Most of the processed cheeses, frozen desserts, and yogurt industry promotes as health foods nutritionally qualify as junk produce fluid milk and cream products. The foods. And while major food conglomerates other two-thirds is used to manufacture a reap sky-high profits from the sales of range of dairy products—especially cheese, “junkified” processed dairy products, they frozen dairy products, and yogurt. do so at the expense of public health. Each year, nearly half of the milk supply Dairy contributes to some of the biggest goes to make about nine billion pounds health concerns we face today: of cheese and 1.5 billion gallons of frozen desserts—two-thirds of which is ice cream.3 • Dairy is one of the top sources of added The growth in consumer demand for sugar and saturated fat,5 which lead to cheese, frozen dairy products, and yogurt cardiovascular disease6 among other is influenced by changes in consumer health problems tastes and product innovation; (for As Milk Consumption Declined, Cheese Consumption Increased Per Capita Consumption of Fluid Milk, 1995.1 to 2011.4 Per Capita Consumption of Cheese, 1995.1 to 2011.4 54 9.2 52 8.8 50 8.4 48 8.0 46 7.6 POUNDS POUNDS 44 7.2 42 6.8 40 6.4 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 Source: USDA Source: United States Department of Agriculture. (2011). Report to Congress on the National Diary Promotion and Research Program and the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Program. Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture.