For weeks, the ag world has buzzed with rumors that the new edition of the Dietary Guidelines would downplay the role of meat in healthy diets or even delete red meat from its recommendations. The 2010 Guidelines say at one point, “Choose a variety of protein foods, which include seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds.” House Agriculture Committee chairman Mike Conaway raised the issue with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, saying, “You have all the authority you need to insist that nutrition science drive the train.”
Vilsack said the Guidelines, which distill government thinking about nutrition into succinct tips, said the new edition will not appear until next fall or winter. The USDA and HHS have the final say over the draft that is being completed by a panel of experts.
“I would be surprised if the recommendations on meat were fundamentally different than they have been,” said Vilsack. After the hearing he told reporters who asked about another rumored change in the guidelines, “Everybody’s getting wound up on this. It’s premature.”