Doctors Say Dairy Industry Should Warn Consumers That Milk Can Make Them Sick
D.C. Residents and Nonprofit Health Organization Will Appeal Court Ruling in Class-Action Lawsuit Over Milk Warning Labels
WASHINGTON—Ten D.C.-area
residents seeking lactose intolerance
warnings on milk cartons will
ask the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia
Circuit to overturn an unfavorable
ruling by the U.S. District
Court. The lawsuit was filed
October 6, 2005, by the Physicians
Committee for Responsible Medicine
(PCRM) because many people
are unaware that milk may cause
severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
The defendants, including Giant
Food and Safeway, do not deny
that lactose intolerance is
a painful consequence of drinking
milk, but have argued that
warning consumers would cause
a decline in sales.
“The dairy industry
has an obligation to warn consumers
that milk can make them painfully
sick,” says Dan Kinburn,
Esq., associate general counsel
for PCRM. “We believe
the appeals court will overturn
this anti-consumer ruling to
protect the health of thousands
of District residents who are
lactose intolerant or allergic
to milk.”
The plaintiffs argue that
many people are not aware they
are lactose intolerant and
unwittingly buy milk, only
to suffer side effects after
drinking it. Lactose intolerance
is the biological norm and
mainly affects people of color.
But because the condition comes
on gradually and can start
at any age, many individuals
have no idea that milk is the
culprit in their painful symptoms.
Lactose intolerance is caused
by the loss of the enzymes
that digest the milk sugar
lactose, a normal process that
occurs after the age of weaning.
For those who are lactose intolerant,
drinking milk can result in
abdominal pain, diarrhea, and
other painful gastrointestinal
symptoms. Approximately 75
percent of the world’s
population—including
60 to 80 percent of African-Americans,
50 to 80 percent of Latinos,
and at least 90 percent of
Asian-Americans and Native
Americans—is lactose
intolerant.
The lawsuit was filed by Milton
Mills, M.D., an African-American
physician, and nine others
who are suing on behalf of
all D.C. residents who are
lactose intolerant and not
aware of it. For an interview
with Dan Kinburn, please contact
Patrick Sullivan, 202-686-2210,
ext. 311, or psullivan@pcrm.org.
Founded in 1985, the Physicians
Committee for Responsible
Medicine is a nonprofit health
organization that promotes
preventive medicine, especially
good nutrition. PCRM also
conducts clinical research
studies, opposes unethical
human experimentation, and
promotes alternatives to
animal research.
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Physicians
Committee for Responsible Medicine
5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.,
Ste. 400, Washington, DC 20016
Phone: 202-686-2210 | E-mail: pcrm@pcrm.org |
