Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says he will be personally involved in finalizing the government’s new dietary guidelines and indicates he will keep them narrowly focused on nutrition.
Vilsack made those comments this week during an appearance before the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. But, according to an Agri-Pulse report, Vilsack stopped short of saying that he would scrap the advisory committee’s proposal that the guidelines include environmental factors. He said he would try to stay within statutory guidelines for the recommendations.
Livestock and meat industry groups are concerned those guidelines will encourage less consumption of meat.
Meanwhile, a coalition of nearly 50 academic, health and environmental advocacy groups is urging Vilsack and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell to adopt the sustainability recommendations as part of the dietary guidelines. They say the guidelines should include how meat is raised, as well as lowering consumption.
The Environmental Working Group, Food and Water Watch and the Center for Science in the Public Interest are among the groups backing the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s recommendations.
Source: www.brownfieldagnews.com