WASHINGTON, D.C. — Controversy continues over the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which closed its public comment period May 8 after receiving more than 29,900 comments.
A joint project of the U.S. departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services (HHS), the report was submitted in February. It provides the federal government a foundation for developing national nutrition policy, to be spelled out in Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015 later this year.
Among the report’s recommendations are reducing consumption of red meat and consideration of environmental sustainability in farming. This caused a stir, especially among beef producers.
House Agriculture Committee Chair K. Michael Conaway, a Republican from Texas cattle country, and committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell on May 14 expressing concerns on the report and requesting the process for reviewing the thousands of comments.
"Members of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee greatly exceeded their scope in developing recommendations," Conaway said. "At a time when consumers are already subjected to conflicting and often contradictory nutrition and health information, the dietary guidelines must provide the public with realistic, science-based recommendations.
"Before moving forward with the development of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the secretaries need to review all comments to confirm that public input does matter."
An examination of that public input – by selecting "view archived written comments" at www.health.gov/dietaryguide lines/2015-scientific-report – reveals some interesting patterns. Aside from letters of thought-out commentary or emotional appeals, a vast number of the comments are identical copies of the same form letters.
Among the most recent comments are multiple copies of a letter from the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, expressing the beverage company’s concerns over the report’s recommendations on sugared drinks and caffeine consumption.
"We agree with the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee that total diet and physical activity must be taken into consideration to achieve a healthy lifestyle," it reads. "But the (committee’s) efforts went beyond its charge and authority to develop dietary recommendations based on scientific evidence by advocating for public policies such as taxes and restrictions on foods and beverages and by questioning the safety of ingredients used in foods (e.g. low-calorie sweeteners, aspartame and caffeine) ..."
This singular document is submitted as 23 of the comments, and the text is even copied in an additional letter from Coca-Cola.
Hundreds of the comments that follow in support of the report appear to be reproduced from form letters suggested by activist websites Food Democracy Now and My Plate My Planet. The following, mostly unchanged, appears 125 times among the most recent 200 comments listed:
"We urge you to support the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s recommendation to include sustainability and issue clear guidance for reduced consumption of animal products and more plant-based foods in the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines. There is a strong body of scientific evidence showing that a diet with less meat and more plant-based foods is better for our health and the health of the planet.
"How food is produced also has a big impact on public health and the environment. More sustainable and humane food production methods that do not rely on the routine use of antibiotics, hormones, chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides are better for the environment and public health." This was repeated verbatim from a letter posted at FoodDemocracyNow.org
The Iowa-based organization states it is "a grassroots community dedicated to building a sustainable food system that protects our natural environment, sustains farmers and nourishes families." Its founders include activists Dave Murphy and Lisa Stokke, free-range hog farmer Paul Willis and documentary producer Aaron Wolf. Their website hosts campaigns against GMOs and the Transpacific Partnership.
A number of other comments repeat a form letter suggested by MyPlateMyPlanet.org and the nature and structure of the underlying organization is unclear, except for its gathering support for the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s report.
There were no responses from queries to Food Democracy Now and My Plate My Planet seeking comment. Efforts to contact the federal agencies involved reached a spokesperson for the USDA. "Each and every written comment submitted within the 75-day public comment period is being reviewed by HHS and USDA staff before being posted for public viewing," she replied by email. "Only submissions with profanity or vulgar language, blank or duplicate entries and spam are not posted. HHS and USDA then review and consider the comments during the development of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015."
She said quality, rather than quantity, will be important in influencing policy. "To ensure the scientific foundation of the policy document, emphasis will be placed on agency and public comments with scientific justification. The quantity of comments ‘for’ or ‘against’ an issue will not drive justification of scientific evidence. As with previous editions of the Dietary Guidelines, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015 will be based on the preponderance of the scientific evidence current at the time."
