Worried about money in politics? Here’s the perfect case study.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued every five years, purportedly, “(reflect) the current body of nutrition science,” and, “help Americans make healthy food and beverage choices.”
Yet, one science-based and health-conscious piece of advice is conspicuously missing from the just-released dietary guidelines: “Eat less meat.” Yes, the intense political battle leading up to the Obama administration’s issue of the new guidelines has caused officials to backpedal on their preliminary recommendations released in February 2015 — and many experts are pointing to outside corporate influence.
Despite “strong evidence” eating less meat and processed meat reduces risk for cardiovascular disease, and “moderate evidence” a low-meat diet decreases risk for diabetes, obesity and certain cancers — statements made deep within the new document — there is no hardline stance on reducing meat intake.
What’s clear is the meat industry got its hooks into the formulation of the final document. With farm state allies in Congress and significant lobbying funds, organizations like the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Pork Producers Council hold immense political power. These groups and their friends in Congress successfully pressured the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services to omit the anti-meat language.
Many health and food politics experts are crying foul. Particularly, they are calling attention to the close relationship between the meat industry and the USDA, the government agency that regulates the food industry. Marion Nestle, who formerly served as an expert advisor to the USDA and HHS as they devised the Dietary Guidelines, revealed that in the past she was told, “we could never say ‘eat less meat’ because USDA wouldn’t allow it.” Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco, stated that granting the USDA the responsibility of writing the Dietary Guidelines is like “putting the fox in charge of the hen house.”
The ability of the meat industry to influence what is ostensibly a purely scientific and public health-focused set of guidelines is breathtaking. Perhaps we need to start getting our nutrition advice elsewhere.
Praveen Varanasi is the president of Vegan Eating for Gators and a campus coordinator for The Humane League.
