"Wow, this sounds great, but can you prove it? Will the research bear the scrutiny of dairy's usual critics? Telling consumers they can lose weight while consuming three daily servings of healthful dairy foods could make milk the next red wine, but only if consumers believe it.

When the Healthy Weight with Dairy campaign was introduced a couple of years ago to those of us who cover the industry, the response went something like this:

"Wow, this sounds great, but can you prove it? Will the research bear the scrutiny of dairy's usual critics? Telling consumers they can lose weight while consuming three daily servings of healthful dairy foods could make milk the next red wine, but only if consumers believe it.

The industry forces behind the campaign responded that the Zemel study that anchored it was rock solid, and that there is plenty of other scientific evidence to back the claims.

We shall see.

Last month the Physicians Committee for Responsible Vegetarianism, er, Medicine (PCRM) announced that it was filing a Virginia class action lawsuit against IDFA, DMI, and several dairy food marketers who are licensed to use the campaign in their marketing. The suit says the claims are false, as did a Federal Trade Commission Complaint the group filed in April. The civil case is on behalf of a Virginia PCRM member who says she followed the Healthy Weight advice and gained weight.

Through the National Dairy Council and via the Center for Consumer Freedom, which is supported by the food industries, dairy has responded by defending the validity of the existing science and by once again exposing the connection between PCRM and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

A couple of things distinguish this from previous food fights with PCRM and PETA.

Number one, there are individual companies named in the complaints, and these include some of the top companies you'll find in our Dairy 100 and smaller companies as well. Secondly, it appears that the Healthy Weight campaign may actually be working. According to the latest data, (see Dairy Market Trends feature) sales of lowfat milk are starting to grow.

For these two reasons, the industry must do more than defend the University of Tennessee's Zemel study, (which was in fact funded by the industry), and it must do more than ask the media and consumers to consider the source of its criticism. If milk can help people lose weight, more proof must be given-through a more thorough presentation of existing independent evidence for now, and through new and ongoing research for the future.