Critics are voicing concern over the process for developing the dietary guidelines for Americans.
Initial steps include several advisory committee meetings, which ultimately make recommendations to the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services. Those agencies have the final say over the guidelines.
Some refer to the dietary guidelines as the single most influential means to shift food trends in the U.S., which is why some groups are questioning the science behind them. Claiming the committee refers to food pattern modeling over established science.
The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is keeping an eye on dietary guidelines; however, the agency’s former administrator says that their work goes beyond that.
According to Brandon Lipps, the Co-Founder of Caprock Strategies, “I’m really proud that the Food Nutrition Service is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There is obviously a huge nexus between the farmers who produce the food and the Food Nutrition Service, who helps ensure that all Americans have access to food. Food Nutrition Service spends about $150 billion a year. As you know, a lot of debate in the Farm Bill every year about the level of spending, but its programs from what’s commonly known as food stamps to school lunch programs, senior feeding programs, and food distribution programs in Indian reservations. So really, a whole host of domestic feeding programs that are important to ensuring that all Americans have access to nutrition.”
He goes on to highlight the influence these programs really have, including the dietary guidelines.
“So all of us listen to this government commentary on what we should eat and it can affect changes in purchasing habits, but also if you think about the $150 billion in nutrition programs that the Food Nutrition Service has, $20 billion of that is spent on school meals, on school lunch and school breakfast every year. That has to comply with the dietary guidelines for Americans. So, if you think about the men or women fixing your local school lunch, they’re developing those meals based on the recommendations of the scientific committee and ultimately what the secretaries right in that. And not to be forgotten, our U.S. military. When they’re designing meals for our military members, when they’re purchasing food for meals that they’re serving, that is also controlled by the recommendations in the dietary guidelines. So, really a huge impact on purchasing both within and outside the government,” he adds.
The previously mentioned committee that oversees the science behind those guidelines is set to
have its final meetings later this month.
