It's easy to flip past these ads and think, “Hey, great. Stars promoting a healthy

alternative to sugary sodas and sports drinks,” awesome

There's this idea that we have to drink milk to be healthy.

But where did that idea come from? There are

plenty of foods with just as much calcium, potassium and protein

Willet: Individuals can be very healthy with no dairy consumption at all.

In fact, a quarter of Americans can't even digest milk!

and researchers have found that people who drink lots of milk aren't any less likely

to get fractures. milk was a bad choice

And yet… the federal dietary guidelines recommend three servings of dairy a day. Why!?

Willet: Our dairy industry has become a very powerful economic force

For most of human history, milk was a small part of the lives of a small number of people.

Willet: Milk was really a survival technology for living in cold places where the long winters

made it difficult to grow fruits and vegetables. Then, around World War I, The US government

sent huge amounts of canned and powdered milk overseas, to fight malnutrition among soldiers.

And farmers made huge changes in response. Many got rid of their other crops to focus

exclusively on dairy. But when the war ended, demand dried up, and

the country was left with a whole bunch of milk it didn't need.

At this point, farmers and milk processors had invested too much to shift away from large-scale,

year-round milk production So instead of making less milk, they convinced

people to drink more. “Milk education” campaigns in public schools

encouraged students to drink four glasses a day.

And milk producers got a boost from legislation that created the national school lunch program

in 1946, and required those lunches to include a glass of whole milk.

Even with all this promotion, the U.S. still saw huge milk surpluses in the 1940s and 50s.

So the federal government started buying up the extra. It sent some to schools, the military,

and to other countries as food aid. But much of the surplus sat unused in vast, underground

storage caves. By 1980s, the government was spending $2 billion

a year on surplus milk. The Reagan Administration, in its quest to cut government spending, put

a stop to the buying program. That didn't sit well with dairy producers.

They convinced Congress to change the rules so that they could create something called a dairy checkoff.

Dairy farmers would into the checkoff with a mandatory fee. That fee would

go toward advertising campaigns aimed at making people buy more milk. And the U.S. Department

of Agriculture would approve those campaigns. The “Got Milk?” Ads are one example. The

fees also pay for partnerships with restaurants like Domino's, Taco Bell and Starbucks to develop dairy-heavy menu

items, like a pizza with 40% more cheese. This means the USDA, the same federal agency

writes our dietary guidelines, is also in charge of a multi-million dollar campaign

to get us to eat a cheese pizza where one piece has two-thirds of a day's maximum

recommended amount of saturated fat. So, if we know milk isn't necessary, then

why not change the recommendation? Instead of milk with every meal, why not tell people

to drink water? Willet:...I think it's impossible at this

point in time...because the political forces would not allow the dietary guidelines to say antying about limiting

red meat or dairy consumption. The dairy industry gives millions to politicians,

who protect their interests whenever the nutrition guidelines come up for review

Susan Del Bene: how do we continue to make sure students have access to appealing and

nutritious dairy products? Glenn Thompson: what can we do to remove policies

that are hindering milk consumption or promote policies that enhance milk consumption?

Milk and other dairy products can be a part of a healthy diet, but the idea that they're

essential? That's just marketing. And it's not like there's broccoli trade groups giving

money to politicians and running multi-million dollar ad campaigns. If there were, our dinner

tables might look a little different.