The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has dismissed a lawsuit against various dairy branded manufacturers filed by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), an anti-meat, anti-dairy group whose campaigns and views are closely aligned with the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The court found that PCRM’s request for lactose intolerance warning labels on milk was contrary to the Food and Drug Administration’s labeling requirements and that there was no legitimate safety issue. 

“PCRM’s legal action was yet another attempt by this animal rights group to grab headlines at the expense of sound health and nutrition information,” says Greg Miller, Ph.D., executive vice president of science and innovation for the National Dairy Council, the nutrition research and education arm of the dairy checkoff program. “The bottom line is that when it comes to nutrition, people should listen to health and nutrition professionals, not an animal rights group.”

 To that end, national and local dairy council staffs work closely with health professionals to address misinformation relative to lactose intolerance. Many Americans perceive lactose intolerance as an “all-or-nothing” condition. In reality, controlled clinical trials indicate that lactose is not a major cause of symptoms for lactose maldigesters who consume a typical serving of dairy products, such as one cup of milk with a meal.

“It’s important for people to understand the health consequences of avoiding dairy foods, as it represents the major source of dietary calcium,” Miller says. “Avoiding dairy may increase the risk of serious illness, including hypertension, stroke, colon cancer and osteoporosis.”

Producer-funded efforts provide dietitians, doctors and other health professionals with the tools to communicate the facts about lactose intolerance, including consumer brochures, fact sheets and targeted materials to reach school foodservice professionals and parents of school-age children.

Downloadable materials are available at www.nationaldairycouncil.org. For more information about producer-funded nutrition research and education efforts, visit www.dairycheckoff.com.

•Twin Falls, Idaho-based Glanbia Foods Inc. distributed $83,000 to local charities raised during the company’s August Charity Challenge Golf Tournament, the largest annual charity event in the Magic Valley. At the presentation were (pictured, seated from left) Gordon Carter, president, Charity Anywhere Foundation, which received $9,000; Sam Sites, coordinator, Twin Falls Fifth Judicial District Status Offenders Services, which received $4,000; Jacqueline Whiting, manager and Al Ingalls of Twin Falls Senior Center, which received $15,000; (standing from left): Jeff Williams, president and chief executive officer, Glanbia Foods; Chris Talkington, administrator with Status Offenders Services; Ray Strolberg, Mustard Seed Ministries and Mustard Seed Wellness Clinic, which received $50,000; John Sexton, coordinator, and Sandra Sexton, R.N., of the Wellness Clinic; and Cecille Griffith, chairman of operations of East End Providers, which received $5,000.

•Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings Inc., South Burlington, Vt., narrowed down more than 40,000 suggestions for a new flavor to five finalists, and turned its customer-creators loose this month in the “Flavor Finals,” to see whose was tastiest. Flavors in the running include Mojito, a lime-based sherbet with mint, brown sugar and rum; Wackie Chan, sweet cream and ginger-flavored ice cream, with chocolate-covered fortune cookie bits and fudge swirl; and Puttin’ on a Ritz, consisting of vanilla ice cream, caramel and Ritz crackers. The company’s Do Us a Flavor Contest commenced in June as an opportunity to become an honorary flavor guru by creating an original ice cream flavor. The five finalists in the contest received expense-paid trips to the ice cream maker’s Waterbury, Vt., plant, where they whipped up their concoctions for the company’s flavor gurus in the finals held earlier this month. The winner receives bragging rights and an ice cream party in their home town. For more on the contest, visit www.benjerry.com.

•Orrville, Ohio-based Smith Dairy Products Co. is using its award-winning Moovers® Eggnog packaging design makeover for its two new Ruggles® Holiday Edition Premium Ice Cream varieties, Sugar Cookie and Hot Chocolate. “We’ve had such success with our eggnog packaging that we’re using the same images and style on our holiday ice cream packaging to get the same effect in the freezer case as we get in the dairy case,” says Penny Baker, director of marketing for Smith Dairy. Baker says the eggnog package makeover proved that consumers respond to seasonal package designs that encourage impulse sales. “It’s hard to resist Santa and Mrs. Claus when they’re looking at you from the shelf,” she says, “so we’re putting their powerful personalities to work on ice cream packaging, too.”

•When the Green Bay Packers score a touchdown, the fans in that end zone await the now famous “Lambeau Leap.” But the Packers’ faithful will have another reason to leap for joy when their favorite team finds paydirt this fall. For the fourth consecutive season, Sargento Foods Inc., Plymouth, Wis., and the Packers will team up to support Touchdowns for Charity, which raises money for the Wisconsin Hunger Task Force. Sargento will again donate $1,000 for every offensive touchdown scored by the Packers throughout the 2006-07 season. New this year is a $2,000 pledge by Sargento for every defensive or special teams touchdown scored by the Packers. Since partnering with one of the best franc`hises in the NFL three years ago, Sargento — the official cheese of the Green Bay Packers — has contributed more than $167,000 to the Hunger Task Force. “Sargento is not only proud to be the official cheese of the Packers, but also proud to be a part of a program that helps thousands of hungry people in Wisconsin,” says Sargento chairman Lou Gentine. Fans may also get involved by pledging a dollar amount to contribute to the Hunger Task Force for each touchdown scored. Visit www.hungertaskforce.org for more information.