American Medical Association Calls on Federal Food Policy to Address Racial Disparities

A statement from Neal Barnard, M.D., F.A.C.C., president of the Physicians Committee: 

I want to salute the American Medical Association (AMA) for addressing racial disparities in heart disease, prostate cancer, and colon cancer. In each of these, deaths among African Americans are much higher than for whites. The reason is not genetics; it’s food. Meat and dairy products are key drivers of colorectal cancer and prostate cancer, respectively. And both of these product categories contribute to the epidemic of cardiovascular disease. Until now, federal guidelines have pushed meat for protein and dairy for calcium, and schools have taught the same thing to children. Today, the AMA’s House of Delegates called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to change their policies to clearly indicate in federal food policies that meat and dairy products are optional. It also called for a change in federal law so that children can request an alternative to cow’s milk without having to prove that they have a “medical condition” that requires it. 

Thanks to our many members and allies who spoke up for good health for all at this week’s AMA meeting. Pictured above: Manuel Calcagno, M.D.; Dexter Shurney, M.D.; Jamie Kane, M.D.; Stephen Lome, D.O.; Ankush Bansal, M.D.; Neal Barnard, M.D.; Michael Klaper, M.D.; Rosa Kincaid, M.D.; Travis Batts, M.D.; Baxter Montgomery, M.D.; and Ashwani Garg, M.D.