U.S. Court of Appeals Affirms Dismissal of Lactose Intolerance Lawsuit

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit last week affirmed a previous ruling by the United States District Court to dismiss a lawsuit requesting lactose intolerance warning labels on fluid milk products in the District of Columbia. The lower court had ruled that under D.C. law there is no duty to warn consumers about lactose intolerance. The lawsuit and subsequent appeal were 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 (PETA). "This is another sound defeat for PCRM, a group whose views on nutrition have been repeatedly denounced by reputable science and health organizations," said Clay Detlefsen, IDFA vice president. IDFA was not named as a defendant but coordinated a joint defense to minimize costs for several member companies.

Posted November 19, 2007