Dairy Promotion Exposed

The New York Times published an article on November 6 that exposes the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dairy Management’s attempts to get dairy back in the American diet, despite the USDA’s own campaigns to fight obesity through warning of the health risks associated with the over-consumption of dairy products. The article points to the Dairy Management’s partnership with Domino’s Pizza to develop a product with 40-percent more cheese than a regular pizza in order to help Domino’s increase its domestic sales. The article states that while Dairy Management reports expenditures of $136 million, the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, which advocates for healthier diets, has a total budget of $6.5 million.