IDFA Urges Consumers to Tell Gov’t: ‘Get Out of My Milk’

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) has rolled out a television and print advertising campaign to make consumers aware of the adverse economic effect of the Federal Milk Marketing Order system, a set of regulations that enables the federal government to set milk prices.

“It’s time consumers learned that the price of their milk is being artificially inflated by a maze of government regulations,” noted Connie Tipton, president and CEO of Washington-based IDFA. “Our campaign is about encouraging consumers to tell big government to get out of their milk.”

The television commercial, which calls for the elimination of the current pricing system, depicts a tiny government bureaucrat swimming in a glass of milk, much to the dismay of the woman about to drink from it. A voiceover in the commercial explains the historical context of federal regulation of milk proces, which began in 1937, and encourages viewers to “take action” at OutofMyMilk.com.

The campaign began in the Washington media market with the TV commercial and a full-page print ad in Politico and Roll Call. Additionally, Internet ads will help spread the word to consumers living outside of the Washington area.

The 550-member trade group, which represents the U.S. dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, has long opposed milk pricing regulations, which it says “increase the already significant regulatory burden on the dairy industry, put more pressure on declining milk sales, and increase costs for consumers and many government nutrition and feeding programs, which are already stretched to serve Americans who are struggling to feed their families.”