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NPPC: Dietary guidelines wrong approach

The National Pork Producers Council says the dietary guidelines committee has taken the wrong approach when it demoted meat in its recommendations to the USDA and Health and Human Services Secretaries for dietary guidelines. The committee recommended Americans eat less red meat and processed meats and more fruits and vegetables. Barb Determan, past president of the National Pork Producers Council and a producer in Early, Iowa, tells Brownfield Ag News that science shows lean meat is a very “nutrient dense’ addition to the diet, “Scientific studies that we have were submitted to the committee. They just chose to ignore those,” Determan says, “We’re really hoping that the secretaries go back to what they know is scientific and don’t cherry pick things but go with what really what’s scientifically proven.” She says lean meat was a footnote to the committee’s recommendation for protein consumption, “It looks like what they did was go to what’s trendy with foodies right now instead of what is the scientific basis for these things.” Determan says the committee’s comments on meat being less sustainable were out of the committee’s purview, adding that the livestock industry IS “very sustainable.”

AUDIO:  Interview with Barb Determan (7:30 mp3):