Anti-dairy doctors target 'Got Milk' campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A group of doctors opposed to dairy products wants the government to investigate health claims in the milk industry's "Got Milk?" advertising campaign.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine said it will file a petition with the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday questioning whether milk is as good for people as the ads say it is.

The ads feature a variety of celebrities, including singer Britney Spears, a favorite of teen-age girls.

"Britney's ad might as well be captioned, 'Oops, I did it again -- sold out for an unhealthy product,"' says Neal D. Barnard, president of the doctors' group.

Earlier this year, his organization was unsuccessful in stopping the Clinton administration from releasing the government's revised dietary guidelines. The group claimed that the advisory group that wrote the revision was biased toward the dairy industry.

Officials for the dairy industry organization that sponsors the ads were not immediately available for comment Tuesday.

An animal-rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, also has taken aim at the ads.

PETA tried a "Got Beer?" ad campaign that encouraged college students to switch from milk to beer, and later targeted teens with an ad that asked: "Got Zits?" That ad claimed that diary products cause acne.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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