New Spoof of Milk Mustache Ad Spotlights Lactose Intolerance

PCRM is launching a new campaign this month to draw attention to lactose intolerance and to find plaintiffs for an upcoming lawsuit against the dairy industry.

A take-off on the ubiquitous milk mustache images, PCRM’s ad reaches out to people with lactose intolerance in the Washington, D.C., area. The ad asks “Got Lactose Intolerance?” and explains that those who do may have grounds for a lawsuit.

About 75 percent of people worldwide are lactose intolerant, meaning they lose the ability to digest the milk sugar lactose after infancy. This shift in enzyme activity is natural. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, 60–80 percent of African Americans, 50–80 percent of Hispanic Americans, and at least 90 percent of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant. Symptoms can include nausea, cramps, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal distress.

Despite the prevalence of this condition, the dairy industry spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year trying to convince the American public that everyone needs milk. Many people are unaware of why they become sick after consuming dairy products, and may force themselves to consume them, believing dairy products are necessary.

PCRM’s public interest lawyers are planning a lawsuit against dairy producers on behalf of D.C. residents who are lactose intolerant. We will ask the court to mandate that milk products carry special labels warning about lactose intolerance.

PCRM Online, June 2005

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