Got Milk PMS commercials - the murky truth
The term “Got Milk” refers to an advertising campaign that aggressively promotes milk consumption. It is paid for by the USA milk industry. Got Milk came out of the Californian Milk Process Board in 1993. It was created to increase milk consumption in the Californian region, but it has now grown into an international advertising and promotion program.
In March 2004 the Got Milk campaign spread to the United Kingdom. In the USA, UK and other countries, milk sales have suffered in the face of the increase in soda drinks sales. The Got Milk campaign is an international attempt to stop this decline.
Typically, the ‘got milk’ ads show celebrities with a “milk moustache” and exhort you to drink milk to ensure good health. With promises of strong bones, lower blood pressure, and better sports performance, these milk moustache ads are everywhere, providing millions of people with what unfortunately has become a primary source of nutrition information.
But instead of helping, these ads are confusing and miss-educating consumers according to the PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, USA).
Some Got Milk commercials make reference to PMS in women, implying that the consumption of dairy milk is somehow helpful in alleviating Pre-Menstrual Symptoms. This is, of course, complete nonsense. If anything, dairy milk makes you feel bloated and less healthy and can therefore aggravate PMS.
The Got Milk PMS ads were prompted by rsearch carried out by Dr. Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson of the University of Massachusetts (published in the Archives of Internal Medicine). The research showed a “significantly lower risk of developing PMS in women with intakes of vitamin D and calcium from food sources.”
But it certainly does not follow that cow’s milk is a good source of vitamin D and calcium. In fact, milk is a poor source of these nutrients, and there is no research showing that milk can alleviate PMS.
According to a PCRM petition filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in July 2000, many of the milk moustache ads that make health claims are false and misleading, and in violation of federal advertising guidelines.
PCRM claimed in its petition that an investigation of milk moustache ads showed them to be scientifically purposefully deceptive, unsubstantiated, and harmful advertising. PCRM’s petition has been referred by the FTC to the USDA for investigation because, believe it or not, it is actually the USDA that is promoting these ads on behalf of the private dairy industry.
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