Dietary Advisory Committee Calls for Dietary Improvements, Food Environment Changes
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has released its recommendations to the secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), outlining proposed changes to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This report recommends 2010 guideline revisions that will implement “a lifestyle approach including a total diet that is energy balanced and nutrient dense.”
Recognizing that Americans, a majority of whom are obese or overweight, eat too few vegetables, fruits, high-fiber whole grains, low-fat milk and milk products, and seafood, while consuming too many added sugars, solid fats, refined grains, and sodium, the advisory committee endorses a shift to healthful patterns of eating, such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and certain Mediterranean-style diets.
The committee also recommends a coordinated strategic plan to improve the overall food environment that “includes all sectors of society, including individuals, families, educators, communities, physicians and allied health professionals, public health advocates, policy makers, scientists, and small and large businesses (e.g., farmers, agricultural producers, food scientists, food manufacturers, and food retailers of all kinds).” The Center for Science in the Public Interest lauded this aspect of the report, observing that “at long last” policymakers are recognizing that a national strategy to help people improve their diets will require “ramping up nutrition education, expanding access to fruits and vegetables, and getting industry to provide more healthful products.” HHS and USDA have requested public comments by July 15, 2010; a public meeting for the receipt of oral comments will be held July 8.
Food and nutrition experts responded to the new report with little enthusiasm, claiming that the dietary recommendations are nearly identical to those first appearing in guidelines published in 1980. Marion Nestle cited her work and that of Michael Pollen; both have said for years, in essence, eat less, exercise more, consume more plant-based foods, and cut out junk food. Noting that the guideline process “is fraught with politics,” Nestle reports that a number of industry interest groups have asked HHS and USDA to provide access to the research materials on which the advisory committee relied. According to Food Chemical News, the organizations stated, “Without access to the data from which the [advisory committee] drew its conclusions and recommendations, the public may not be able to provide meaningful comments.” See Federal Register, CSPI News Release, and Food Politics, June 15, 2010.
