Herald Shills For The Dairy Industry

Did you know that pasteurized milk is “more natural” than raw milk? Or that lactose-sensitive people should not avoid all milk and other dairy foods? Neither did I until partaking of the Dairy Nutrition Quiz in yesterday’s Miami Herald health section (the “wellness” page, to be precise).

Try this one --True or false: Flavored milk is bad for children because of high sugar content. The answer: “False. Although higher in sugar, it does contain the same nutrients as regular milk.” Is it my imagination, or does this answer avoid the issue of whether the additional sugar itself is bad for children? And is the artificial flavoring and coloring good for kids as well? The rationale as to why pasteurized milk is more natural than raw seems bizarre as well: “Pasteurization kills bacteria.”

Towards the bottom of the column we learn that this “quiz” comes courtesy of the American Dietetic Association (ADA), whose corporate donor list includes Kraft Food, Kellogg Company, National Cattlemen’s Beef, General Mills, and ConAgra -- companies that profit from dairy sales. So thank you Gwen Schoen of McClatchy News Service for the shameless shilling. And heckuva job Herald for passing this misinformed agribusiness bullshit along to your readers in the guise of legitimate health news.

- Lee Klein