Latest US dietary advice to avoid limiting meat
It was thought environmental factors could be considered for the first time in the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) – official government guidance on an optimum diet – which is updated every five years and is due to be published in the next few weeks.
However, in a blog post by agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack and health and human services secretary Sylvia Burwell, the pair said the dietary advice would focus purely on health.
“There has been some discussion this year about whether we would include the goal of sustainability as a factor in developing dietary guidelines,” they wrote. “Sustainability in this context means evaluating the environmental impact of a food source. Some of the things we eat, for example, require more resources to raise than others. The final 2015 Guidelines are still being drafted, but… we do not believe that the 2015 DGAs are the appropriate vehicle for this important policy conversation about sustainability.”
Earlier this year, the nutrition panel that advises the government – The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee - recommended Americans eat less meat, both for health reasons and environmental ones.
'Plant-based foods'
Its report, upon which the 2015 DGAs will be based, stated: “A diet higher in plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and lower in calories and animal-based foods is more health-promoting and is associated with less environmental impact than is the current US diet.”
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association welcomed the announcement the advice would be purely based on health, stating: “We were pleased the Secretaries announced the guidelines will not include topics beyond the scope of nutrition and diet and also support their recognition of fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains and lean meats and other proteins as part of a healthy diet.
“Cattle farmers and ranchers have made significant investments in nutrition research to understand beef’s role in a healthy diet. Since the inception of the Dietary Guidelines in 1980 this research has been shared and it’s important for federal policies, like the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to incorporate the latest nutrition evidence and recognise the role today’s lean beef plays in a healthy diet.”
