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Dietary Advisory Committee calls for less meat

The USDA and Health and Human Services Department Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee issued its report on Thursday. Pork and beef producer groups question the recommendation for Americans to reduce their meat consumption.  The report is part of the process to review the U.S. Dietary Guidelines every five years to make sure they are up-to-date and meeting the current needs of Americans.

The Advisory Committee looked at the current composition of the American diet, lifestyle trends and health concerns. The report notes; “about half of all American adults, about 117 million individuals, have one or more preventable chronic diseases related to poor quality dietary patterns and physical inactivity.”  It continues; “More than two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of children and youth are overweight or obese.”  It also states: “more than 49 million people in the United States, including nearly 9 million children, live in food insecure households.”

Among the recommendations, the report calls for individuals to include more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, nuts, legumes, low/non-fat dairy or dairy alternatives without added sugars. It suggests reducing consumption of red and processed meat, refined grains, added sugars, sodium and saturated fat; substituting saturated fats with polyunsaturated alternatives and replacing solid animal fats with non-tropical vegetable oils and nuts.  In addition, the report calls for the elimination of sugar-sweetened beverages in the National School Lunch Program.

The National Pork Producers Council criticizing the report for recommending “that people consume less red and processed meat, and it omitted lean meat from its recommended dietary pattern. Additionally, the advisory committee concluded that a diet higher in plant-based and lower in animal-based foods would be more environmentally sustainable.”

The National Pork Board noted; “Meats, including pork, offer a greater percentage of high “nutrient density value” compared to all other protein sources, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.” In addition, NPB states; “pork production’s carbon footprint is a small fraction (0.35%) of total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.¹⁰ Compared with 50 years ago, farmers are now using less land (78 percent) and water (41 percent) per pound of pork produced.”

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association found mixed signals from the report. “On one hand, the Committee has endorsed the Mediterranean style diet, which has higher red meat levels than currently consumed in the U.S.; and on the other hand, they have left lean meat out of what they consider to be a healthy dietary pattern.”  NCBA Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Scientist Dr. Shalene McNeill said; “The protein foods category, which includes meat, is the only category currently consumed within the current guidelines, and it is misleading to conclude that a healthy dietary pattern should be lower in red meat.”

The dairy industry is quite satisfied with the recommendations. In a joint statement, National Milk Producers Federation president and CEO Jim Mulhern and International Dairy Foods Association president and CEO Connie Tipton said: “We appreciate the commitment of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) to help Americans build healthy eating patterns. The essential role of dairy foods, as part of dietary patterns that foster good health outcomes, is supported by the totality of the science — low-fat and fat-free milk and dairy products are a core component of the healthy dietary patterns identified by the Committee.”

The public is invited to comment on the report for 45 days after it is published in the Federal Register. The public will also have an opportunity to offer oral comments at a public meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, on March 24, 2015.  HHS and USDA will review the advisory report, along with comments from the public, other experts and input from other federal agencies as they begin the process of updating the guidelines.

Read the Advisory Committee report here: