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 The government guidelines, which are issued every five years, are a
roadmap for U.S. dietary policy, and some groups suggested the
recommendations should have better reflected the World Health
Organization's view that processed meat can cause cancer.
Kari Hamerschlag, senior program manager with the advocacy group
Friends of the Earth, said in a statement the new guidelines by the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture ignored strong scientific evidence presented by its
own advisory committee on the need for Americans to eat less meat
for health, food security and environmental reasons.
“The administration has clearly put the financial interests of the
meat industry over the weight of the science and the health of the
American people,” Hamerschlag said.
Other health advocates lauded the guidelines, which aim to reduce
obesity and prevent chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes,
hypertension and heart disease.
"If Americans ate according to that advice, it would be a huge win
for the public's health," said Michael F. Jacobson, president of the
Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said the
recommendations were based on the latest scientific evidence, input
from the public and other factors. For the first time, she said,
they did not include a specific limit on dietary cholesterol
consumption.
The North American Meat Institute, an industry group that represents
companies including Cargill Inc, Tyson Foods Inc and Kraft Heinz Co,
said the recommendations were an “affirmation of meat and poultry
nutrition.”
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The guidelines were specific on sugar, encouraging Americans to keep
consumption below 10 percent of daily caloric intake, while
consuming more fruit and vegetables. In the past, the U.S. has
offered more vague recommendations on limiting sugar consumption.
The advice would translate to a sharp reduction in the consumption
of sugary drinks, snacks and sweets for many Americans. Teenagers
age 14-18 on average consume about 17 percent of their calories in
added sugar, according to the guidelines.
Those aged 14 and younger were advised to consume less than 2,300
milligrams of sodium per day.
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen and Tom Polansek in Chicago and
Caroline Humer and Chris Prentice in New York; Editing by Bernadette
Baum)
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