WASHINGTON, D.C. — Possible effects of new federal Dietary Guidelines on agriculture were the subject last week at a hearing of the U.S. House of Agriculture Committee.

The Dietary Guidelines are changed every five years. On Oct. 7, House committee members spoke with USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary Sylvia Burwell of U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) about the 2015 Dietary Guidelines. After more than 18 months of work and research, most will remain in place as they have been since the 1980s, Burwell said.

"These guidelines are guidelines," Vilsack added. "This is about well-informed opinions."

He told the committee there is no way to take all dietary restrictions into account. The guidelines are broad strokes to encourage people to make wiser choices, but a diabetic, for example, should take their condition into account when making dietary decisions.

The goal is to provide guidelines that can assist people in making smart choices that will help prevent illness such as heart disease and diabetes, which cost millions in healthcare every year, Burwell said.

The extended public comment period, from 60 days to 75 at the committee’s request, did result in more than 20,000 comments, many with concerns about sustainable farming and industrial practices, Vilsack said. "That is a conversation we should be having, but that’s a different conversation," he said.

Burwell said serving-size is one of the problems with obesity, not the guidelines. She said serving sizes use to be smaller. Even children with school lunches feel compelled to fill the trays given to them.

Food waste has been reduced at schools that provide plates for students, Vilsack added.

He said replacing red meat with lean meat, red or white, is a recommendation of the guidelines. "Some of us are consuming more calories than we should; some recommendations are based on that," he said – and adding lean meat to a diet is one way to reduce calories.

"(The U.S. Cattlemen Assoc.) and producers across the country know the inherent nutritional value of red meat in a balanced diet. The ongoing attempts by the 2015 panel to slant the guidelines in a direction pandering to special interests and specific lifestyle choices clearly shows the bias behind the proposed guidelines," said USCA Dietary and Nutrition Chair Linda Chezem.

"USCA and the U.S. cattle industry are proud of the nutritional value of red meat and the inclusion of lean meats in a healthy diet."

Vilsack said consumers often think healthy eating is more expensive because comparing the calories of food is misleading. Three potato chips may have the same caloric value as a roomful of broccoli, but no one will buy a room full of broccoli at one time, and no one eats three chips.

"The critics are the people who make the worst foods," Vilsack said.

Critics have called into question the credibility of the guidelines and the scientific research used to make them, Burwell said. She was questioned about how research was reviewed and the process to select the data used to make the guidelines.

"I don’t see any studies on children," said U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.). "Children need different nutrients to grow. These are things of importance to me."

Burwell said there have not been studies on children and that she has discussed the lack of data with her team.

The new guidelines will be used to adjust the Healthy Plate initiative and other government nutrition resources. School lunches and SNAP (food assistance) guidelines will reflect any changes to the program, too, Vilsack said.

Each member of the committee had four minutes to ask questions and comment about the proposed guidelines. They expressed concerns that new guidelines may adversely affect agriculture – such as the time eggs were strongly discouraged from a daily diet but, shortly after, new research caused them to be added back into the guidelines.

Burwell said new science is why the guidelines are checked every five years. A shorter period of time would not be long enough to conduct the research, while a longer period of time might leave guidelines – like the limited egg consumption – in place for many more years.

She and Vilsack will use the committee members’ comments to help create the final draft of the guidelines. It is scheduled for approval by Congress before the end of the year. Vilsack said public comments are also accepted and reviewed throughout the five-year period.