Washington, DC – This week an animal rights group masquerading as a medical charity issued a report suggesting that airport restaurants serving meat and dairy foods are “unhealthy.” The Center for Consumer Freedom called on the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) to stop misleading consumers and come clean about its animal-rights motive for attacking these animal-based menu items.
PCRM has well-documented ties to the animal rights movement, including over $850,000 in financing from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). PCRM president Neal Barnard, a non-practicing psychiatrist, sits on the board of The PETA Foundation with PETA co-founder Ingrid Newkirk. PCRM has asserted itself as a home for anti-meat, pro-vegan nutrition zealots who are committed to removing beef, dairy, poultry, and other animal products from the American diet for good.
“Most Americans are too smart to knowingly take dietary advice from PETA. But when animal rights activists put on the sheep’s clothing of the medical profession, it becomes harder to know who’s credible,” said David Martosko, the Center for Consumer Freedom’s Director of Research. “These so-called ‘physicians’ have a huge hidden agenda. Force-feeding animal rights propaganda to Americans doesn’t sound very ‘responsible’ to me, and the established medical community agrees.”
The American Medical Association has soundly rejected PCRM’s dietary advice in the past, writing that it “finds the recommendations of PCRM irresponsible and potentially dangerous to the health and welfare of Americans.” In a separate public censure, the AMA marveled at “how effectively a fringe organization of questionable repute continues to hoodwink the media with a series of questionable research that fails to enhance public health.”
Martosko added: “The last thing busy holiday travelers need is an animal-rights activist hanging over their shoulder telling them what to eat. Americans should be free to make their own food choices without wading through this sort of misinformation.”
The Center for Consumer Freedom is a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies, and consumers working together to promote personal responsibility and protect consumer choices. To learn more, visit www.ConsumerFreedom.com.
