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The US
government has partnered with McDonald’s to increase the fast food giant’s
dairy use in a move the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is
calling ‘irresponsible’.
More dairy
Scientists
with government-funded organization Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) worked closely with McDonald’s to formulate
recipes that use more dairy, to be implemented at over 14,000 locations
nationwide.
Changes include
the introduction of larger cheese slices, and more heavily dairy-laden
beverages.
Dairy
Management Inc.
DMI works
with fast-food restaurants to increase the use of dairy products in exchange
for a cash injection from the dairy industry.
Companies
that have worked with DMI include such major fast food brands as Taco Bell,
Pizza Hut, and Wendy’s.
‘Good for
dairy farmers’
DMI
Scientist Porter Myrick said: “The McDonald’s employees are just as excited as
we are to showcase the goodness and versatility of dairy.
“They
understand, as we do, that creating offerings such as these gives consumers
what they want, and it’s also good for dairy farmers.”
‘Irresponsible’
However,
the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) argues the move is bad
for consumers.
The non-profit
– which consists of over 12,000 members – objects to the ‘irresponsible’ partnership due to health concerns.
The PCRM’s renowned
plant-based physician, Neal Barnard, MD, explained that cheese is a major
source of saturated fat for Americans which is a significant contributor to America’s number
one killer – heart disease.
Conflicting
message
The United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – a governmental organization –
recommends that Americans limit saturated fat and sodium consumption.
However,
the aim of the partnership – increasing dairy use – doesn’t set consumers up
for success, especially given that cheese is the number one source of sodium and saturated fat in
the standard American diet.
Dr. Barnard
said: “I’m not lovin’ that the USDA is working with McDonald’s to push 30
percent more cheese on unsuspecting consumers.”
