New Billboard Near University of Los Angeles, California Highlights Negative Impacts of The Dairy Industry

New Billboard Near University of Los Angeles, California Highlights Negative Impacts of The Dairy Industry

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA —Food Empowerment Project (F.E.P.), a vegan food justice organization, has launched a billboard campaign highlighting the dairy industry’s deeply rooted legacy in colonization. The billboard, located near the University of California, Los Angeles, features the words “Got Colonization?,” a play on the dairy industry’s Got Milk? slogan. It directs consumers to the website GotColonization.com, where they can learn about the industry’s impact on animals, human health, workers, and the environment.
 
The public can also order free copies of the group’s eight-page booklet, One Glass at a Time, which is a print version of the website and available in Spanish. Despite most people’s inability to digest the milk of another species —a condition that F.E.P. refers to as “lactose normal” rather than “lactose intolerance”—dairy foods have been forced upon the diets of many cultures through colonization.

“Colonization is one of the least understood effects of dairy production," said lauren Ornelas, F.E.P.'s founder and senior programs director. "My ancestors were native to the Americas, and colonizers brought cows, who are not indigenous to our lands, to consume their milk. Ironically, we and many other people of color are called 'intolerant' because consuming this legacy of colonization leads to health issues—as if there is something wrong with us for not being able to digest the milk of another species and a product of colonization.”

lauren Ornelas, F.E.P.'s founder and senior programs director
The effects of dairy production on the environment and animals are becoming increasingly recognized, although many consumers are unaware of the cruelty involved in cow’s milk production. Each cow used for dairy production is repeatedly impregnated through artificial insemination, and her calf—with whom she instinctively forms a strong bond—is taken away soon after birth so that her milk can be sold for human consumption.
 
Cows also suffer from mutilations such as tail docking and dehorning, generally without painkillers. After enduring multiple impregnations, births, and forcible separations from her calves, cows used for dairy are killed at about five years old, which is a fraction of their natural lifespan of 20 years or more.
 
Dairy production also significantly impacts climate change due to emissions of greenhouse gasses such as methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, and it takes a substantial toll on the health of our air, water and soil. Meanwhile, locating dairies near Black, Brown and Indigenous communities is a form of environmental racism, which is the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color.
 
Workers on dairy farms are also affected and face numerous health risks; in fact, the industry has one of the highest rates of human injuries and fatalities within agriculture. As many of them are immigrants, these workers are incredibly exploitable and vulnerable to abuse by their employers.

“We hope these billboards inspire people to learn more about how the dairy industry hurts Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, animals, the environment, and workers," added Ornelas. “For people looking to make a real difference, moving away from milk and other dairy products is a great place to start, and there are so many delicious alternatives to choose from.”

lauren Ornelas, F.E.P.'s founder and senior programs director
The billboard can be found at the intersection of Santa Monica Blvd and S. Barrington Ave in Los Angeles, California. Images of the billboard may be downloaded here.
 

About Food Empowerment Project

Founded in 2007 by lauren Ornelas, Food Empowerment Project is dedicated to creating a more just and sustainable world by recognizing the power of one’s food choices. The organization aims to empower those with the least resources across various advocacy areas, including fair conditions for farm workers, access to healthy foods in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, and the protection of animals. As a vegan food justice organization, Food Empowerment Project also exposes corporations that exploit low-income areas by promoting unhealthy foods or perpetuating food deserts (also known as food apartheid areas), and those that profit from chocolate produced through the worst forms of child labor. Food Empowerment Project is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. To learn more, visit http://www.foodispower.org.

Media Contact

Alejandra Tolley

Email: alejandra@foodispower.org

Phone: (408)963-8096

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