May 10, 2019 — This is a pretty neat trick. Conflicts of interest are now officially dead. Lobbying for high fructose corn syrup isn’t a conflict of interest for drafting dietary guidelines. It’s a qualification. Evidence of expertise. USDA has put a high fructose corn syrup lobbyist in charge of overseeing new Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This would have […]
February 23, 2019 — We have an interesting climb ahead. Yesterday the USDA announced members of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Clearly some groups are very happy. Unhappy campers – we know you’re out there – haven’t spoken up yet. Happy Bakers Among the happy campers was America’s Baking industry. The American Bakers Association celebrated with a press […]
December 9, 2018 — The plan to “make school lunches great again” is complete. The USDA has announced its final plans to lower the nutrition standards for school cafeterias. That means more sodium, more white bread, and more sugar-sweetened milk will be A-OK with the USDA. Completely Unsurprising Anyone who’s surprised by this needs to get out from under […]
May 2, 2017 — Is human nutrition now a political issue? It seems so. In his first week on the job, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue dined on chicken nuggets at a Virginia elementary school. Then he announced he is easing back on school nutrition standards. This administration will “make school meals great again,” he proclaimed. Careful Praise for Michelle Obama Perdue offered […]
February 21, 2015 — Is it a coincidence that the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee issued their report during Fashion Week? Probably so, though it’s hard not to think about the changing fashions in nutrition advice. Coffee and eggs are definitely back in after years of being unfashionable. Added sugars and meats are decidedly out. The committee even went so […]
October 25, 2012 — October 26 2012 — Updated nutritional standards for school lunch programs instituted by the US Department of Agriculture in 2010 have helped lead to slightly lower obesity rates among children in certain cities and states. Philadelphia, for example, saw obesity rates among kindergartners through eighth-graders drop from 21.5% in 2006-2007 to 20.5% in 2009-2010. And […]
