Republicans Are Waging An Unprecedented War Against The New Dietary Guidelines
▻http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/25/republicans-dietary-guidelines_n_7662628.html
Congressional Republicans are pushing back against proposed dietary guidelines that urge Americans to consider the environment when deciding what foods to eat.
House and Senate spending bills say the guidelines must focus only on nutrition and diet. That’s a clear effort to thwart a recommendation by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee that eating a diet higher in vegetables and other plant-based foods is better for the environment than eating a diet based more on foods from animals.
The advice from a government advisory panel of independent doctors and nutrition experts has raised the ire of the meat industry.
The dietary guidelines come out every five years, and the government advice informs everything from school lunches and food package labels to advice from your doctor. The departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services are expected to issue a final version by year’s end based on the advisory committee’s February recommendations.
While the guidelines always have been subject to intense lobbying by food industries, this year’s version has set off unprecedented political debate, fueled by Republicans’ claims the Obama administration has gone too far in telling people what to eat.
The advisory panel also suggested a tax on sugary drinks and snacks as one way people could be coaxed into eating better. That idea angered beverage companies and conservatives in Congress.
