Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 5/15/19


The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee will focus on the nutritional needs of children from birth to the age of 2 and pregnant women, but not on the issues of sustainability, according to an article in The Hagstrom Reportas summarized in the Meridian Institute’s ag newsletter.

The update was credited to Eve Stoody, the lead nutritionist at USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion Policy and the designated federal officer for the committee; she was speaking at a seminar on Friday.

The Dietary Guidelines traditionally have focused on the nutritional needs of Americans age 2 and older, Stoody said, but the 2014 farm bill mandated that the 2020 guidelines cover children from birth to 2 years and pregnant women.

While the process for writing the 2015 version of the guidelines was marked by heated debate over the role of environmental sustainability in diet and nutrition, the subject is not going to be addressed in the 2020 version, Stoody is quoted as saying.

“While this is 'an important topic within the Department of Agriculture and the federal government,’ it will not be part of the agenda for the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee,” the Meridian report said.

The committee will focus on six topics, the report said: pregnancy and lactation; birth to 24 months; dietary patterns; beverages and added sugars; dietary fats and seafood; frequency of eating.

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