4 FEED•LOT November 2015
Many of you recall how the live-
stock industry went to battle earli-
er this year after hearing lean meat
was going to be removed from
what defined a healthy diet in the
2015 Dietary Guidelines. Following
that effort, it appeared much
was for not when the Dietary
Guidelines Advisory Committee re-
leased their report, sans meat and
encouraging sustainability as part
of the conversation.
Then about a month ago, infor-
mation was released that there
would be a Congressional hearing
on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines. Al-
though this didn't get near the press
attention of the debate earlier in the
year, a few interesting items have
surfaced. First, the day before the
hearing, Secretaries Vilsak and Bur-
well announced the guidelines will
not discuss sustainability. The sec-
retaries said they will use other av-
enues to discuss sustainability.
Second, the secretaries testified
that the Dietary Guidelines Commit-
tee's report is only one part of what
is considered for the final guide-
lines. They are also considering in-
put from the public and federal
agencies. Does that mean the sec-
retaries are taking a stronger look
at some of the meatless arguments?
Possibly so. On the USDA Blog,
the secretaries wrote: This year, we
will release the 2015 edition, and
though the guidelines have yet to
be finalized, we know they will be
similar in many key respects to
those of past years. Fruits and veg-
etables, low-fat dairy, whole grains
and lean
m e a t s
and other
proteins,
and limit-
ed amounts
of saturated
fats, added
s u g a r s a n d
s o d i u m r e -
m a i n t h e b u i l d i n g b l o c k s o f a
healthy lifestyle.
Did you see those two key
words? Lean meats… They were
missing in the committee's report.
So what does that mean? We don't
know for sure until the secretaries
release the final guidelines. But
there is room for optimism.
Regardless what the final guide-
lines say, I suspect many will con-
tinue with their own version of a
healthy diet. What defines a
healthy diet is largely different
from one person to another. My
definition includes lean beef and
lower fats. Unfortunately, the offi-
cial guidelines will have a large
bearing on federal nutrition policy.
And we'll have to wait a while
longer to see what direction this
debate takes…
FL
EDITOR'S DESK
Is the glass half full?
B
Y JILL J. DUNKEL