Vitamin D Council

The FDA depends upon milk to deliver virtually all supplemental dietary vitamin D to Americans, knowing that Black Americans consume little or no milk.

San Luis Obispo, CA – The Vitamin D Council, a nonprofit educational corporation, is set to file a complaint to the Attorney General against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding policies that disparately afflict African Americans. The Vitamin D Council argues that through a combination of mandated and encouraged practices, the FDA depends upon milk to deliver virtually all supplemental dietary vitamin D to Americans. The FDA knows African Americans consume little milk, particularly relative to Caucasian Americans.

In effort to strengthen the complaint, the Vitamin D Council launched a petition today, seeking backing from citizens all across the country. The petition can be found at: www.change.org/petitions/back-health-equality-complaint-against-fda-2

Vitamin D is a hormone activated by sunlight. Due to their darker skin, African Americans require six to ten times the amount of sun exposure Caucasian Americans do to activate the same amount of vitamin D. In consequence, African Americans are much more likely to be deficient in vitamin D.

“All Americans, regardless of the amount of melanin pigment in their skin, deserve equal treatment under de facto FDA policies.” - John Cannell MD, Vitamin D Council Founder and Executive Director

The Vitamin D Council argues that the FDA, in effect, chooses to fortify a food that does not target a population who most need vitamin D. The Vitamin D Council calls upon the FDA to mandate and encourage fortifying foods that African Americans are more likely and able to consume. Says Vitamin D Council Executive Director, Dr. John J. Cannell, “All Americans, regardless of the amount of melanin pigment in their skin, deserve equal treatment under de facto FDA policies.”

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to over one-hundred diseases and illnesses. Studies show that African Americans, as compared to other ethnic or racial groups, bear a greatly increased risk of suffering and dying from these same diseases, including heart disease, cancer, hypertension, and diabetes.

About the Vitamin D Council

Founded in 2003 on the conviction that people all over the world are needlessly suffering from vitamin D deficiency, the Vitamin D Council is a nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c)(3) educational corporation in the State of California. The Vitamin D Council’s mission is to end the worldwide epidemic of vitamin D deficiency by means of outreach and awareness, research, and political action.

For more information, visit phpstack-823148-2829364.cloudwaysapps.com.
The petition can be found at www.change.org/petitions/back-health-equality-complaint-against-fda-2

PR Contact

Brant Cebulla
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