History of USDA nutrition guidelines

The 2015–2020 guidelines were criticized as not accurately representing scientific information about optimal nutrition, and as being overly influenced by the agricultural industries the USDA promotes.

[1] In 1941, the first Recommended Dietary Allowances were created, listing specific intakes for calories, protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins A, B1, B2 B3, C and D.[1] In 1943, during World War II, the USDA introduced a nutrition guide promoting the "Basic 7" food groups to help maintain nutritional standards under wartime food rationing.

These included additional servings from the Basic Four, or foods such as butter, margarine, salad dressing and cooking oil, sauces, jellies and syrups.

An unmarked white tip represented discretionary calories for items such as candy, alcohol, or additional food from any other group.

[11] MyPlate is the current nutrition guide published by the United States Department of Agriculture,[12] consisting of a diagram of a plate and glass divided into five food groups.

The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion in the USDA and the United States Department of Health and Human Services jointly release a longer textual document called Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

[16] These criticisms of the Dietary Guidelines arose due to the omission of high-quality evidence that the Public Health Service decided to exclude.

The wording had to be changed constantly as there were protests due to comments such as "cut down on fatty meats", which led to the U.S Department of Agriculture having to stop the publication of the USDA Food Book.

This episode serves as a prime example of numerous instances where the food industry endeavored to modify federal dietary recommendations to suit their economic interests.

These controversies and the ensuing adjustments to the Food Pyramid have arguably cast a shadow on the public’s trust in USDA dietary guidelines.

[23] The transition from the Food Pyramid to MyPlate in 2011 could be seen as an attempt to mitigate these concerns and realign federal dietary guidelines with current nutritional science, although criticisms persist.