Beer is healthier than milk, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has claimed in Madison, Wisconsin, also known as America's Dairyland.
A billboard sponsored by PETA has been put up at Hilldale Mall, which is just a mile away from the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, thus targeting college students and urging them to consume more beer instead of milk.
"It's our responsibility to teach the new generation about the dairy industry. PETA's position is, we're in the role of showing this new generation what's going on behind the scenes in the dairy industry, how that milk comes to get into a glass and all the cruelty that's associated with it," Daniel Carron, senior outreach coordinator at PETA's headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, said, according to inquisitr.com.
PETA's campaign "Got Beer?", started in the year 2000, was attacked by various groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The campaign was pulled down twice, once in 2000 and then in 2002 because of the backlash by MADD.
A donation of $500 was made by PETA to MADD out of goodwill after the "Got Beer?" campaign was stripped off in 2000. The campaign was halted out of respect for MADD, PETA explained.
The organisation has not only said, "It's official: beer is better for you than milk," it also claims that beer aids longevity and strengthens bones, while milk causes obesity, diabetes and cancer.
The ad mentioned various sources, like the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the Harvard School of Public Health, the American Journal of Epidemiology and the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, at the bottom, but didn't point towards specific studies.
After PETA was accused of promoting beer drinking through their campaigns, the organisation stated that other beverages like juices, mineral water and soy milk are also recommended by them, and asked why beer has been over-hyped.
"Had we used soda instead of beer, there would have been no media interest in the campaign, of course. PETA urges everyone, beer-drinkers included, to drink responsibly. Where milk is concerned, there's no such thing!," PETA stated on its website.
Though humans do not have any requirement of cow's milk for keeping healthy, one can anyway get benefited by the nutrients present in it, Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail reported, adding that no dietitian would tag beer as calorie-free, according to inquisitr.com.
