With cattle ranchers pushing hard, Congress barred the government from considering sustainability in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines. An advocate for including the subject, Miriam Nelson, sees the chance for success in the 2020 guidelines.
An academic, Nelson served on the panel of experts that advised the USDA and HHS on the 2010 and 2015 editions of the guidelines. In a Civil Eats story, Nelson says more research is going into the question of sustainability of food supplies so there is a larger body of scientific material to undergird recommendations by policy makers. “The work toward the 2020 guidelines begins in two years and Nelson is optimistic that last year’s process could lead to greener guidelines next time around,” says Civil Eats.
An important step, says Nelson, is to build support from the private sector. Health and sustainability advocates should press the administration to include sustainability experts on the advisory panel. Nelson says although the latest editions of the guidelines are silent on sustainability, the debate on the topic means more impetus for it. “It was important we do the groundwork in 2015, so it is an absolute given that sustainability will be in the 2020 edition,” she told Civil Eats.