Politics Versus Science: Opposing the Food Pyramid

(1991-1992)

By Marion Nestle

Laura Korth

Eating Right Pyramid

Created in 1991 Hierarchical: most daily

servings from grain, vegetable, and fruit and less from meat and dairy

Secretary of USDA Edward R. Madigan blocked printing because it was “confusing to children”

Pressure from meat industry

Meat and dairy industries complained that their products were being stigmatized

USDA spent almost a

million dollars on research and released a new pyramid

Minor changes: name, placement of serving sizes, and size meat serving went from 4-6oz to 5-7oz

Meat and dairy industries were appeased

Food Guide Pyramid

USDA’s conflict of interest:

protecting agriculture Advise public about diet and health

Undue Influence of lobbyists in this area and other areas in federal policy decisions

Two Major Issues

Mid 1970s: Congress under pressure to support health promotion to reduce

health care costs USDA and Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (DHEW) competed to

control nutrition education and research 1977 Farm Bill (PL 95-113): Congress granted shared responsibility to USDA and

DHEW 1988: House Appropriations Committee forced the two to issue consistent

dietary advice favorable to agriculture To prevent Dept. of Heath and Human Services (DHHS) issuing advice adverse to agriculture

DHHS argued that their agencies should be in charge, but Congress still favored the USDA

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Led to conflict of interest because dietary advice increasingly meant eating less, which was unfavorable towards agriculture

USDA’s Conflict:Background

1980 Dietary Guidelines

referred to nutrients, not to foods that contain them

Hard to understand by public

USDA’s Human Nutrition Information Service (HNIS) wanted a new guide to establish a research basis to conduct study to determine optimal servings

Origins of the Pyramid

Established nutritional goals, defined food groups,

assigned serving sizes and proportions 1984: used this information in the Food Wheel for the

American Red Cross 6-11 grains, 2-4 fruits, 3-5 vegetables, 2-3 each meat

and dairy, moderation of sweets, fats, and alcohol Difficult to interpret and cluttered Used for years in many publications

1988: Contracted with Washington office, Porter-Novelli, to create a new design easier to understand

Equilateral triangle with horizontal rows

Origins of the Pyramid: HNIS

1990 Dietary Guidelines incorporated the

Pyramid’s serving numbers, granting them status as official components of federal nutrition policy

Sent to many publishers and presented at meetings—it was no secret

Fully cleared for publication at every political level within USDA

HNIS expected Pyramid to be published April, 1991

Origins of the Pyramid

April 10th: Front page news in New York Times: The Physicians

Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) asked USDA to make the new food groups vegetarian—fruits, grains, vegetables, and legumes—and meat and dairy to be minor options Protests followed and some argued a “potentially dangerous” diet is

disguised as animal-rights agenda April 13th: Washington Post article praising the Pyramid and saying it

is a “real mark of progress” No longer gives impression meat and dairy are most important Pyramid better for health and wellbeing

April 15th: During Cattleman’s meeting with Secretary Madigan, they complained: Pyramid would cause people to eat less meat Meat should not be displayed so close to sugars and fats

Toppling the Pyramid: A Bad Luck Streak

April 27th: USDA spokeswoman confirmed the

Pyramid had been “killed”

Denied that industry complaints were reason, it was because it was too confusing for children

Toppling the Pyramid

Press educated the public

Many organizations sent protest letters to USDA, demanded responsibility transferred from USDA to DHHS, and demanded USDA’s records on Pyramid

National press wrote stories about USDA’s favoritism towards corporate interests

US Today challenged children to draw symbols for a healthful diet Well-publicized controversy hit USDA hard

Exclude HNIS staff from Pyramid work Secretary Madigan:

Pyramid was premature and not tested Pyramid was not cancelled due to pressure from meat and dairy industries Conflicting stories from staff: it was well-tested and cleared These misunderstandings reinforced skepticism

Defending the Pyramid

USDA now had to conduct the “missing”

research Bell Associates hired to test Pyramid against

other graphics Used pyramids, bowls, pie charts, and shopping

carts Narrowed down to bowls and pyramids No significant difference between effectiveness Analyze data again with a scoring system

Renegotiating the Research

April 1992: A year after withdrawal, USDA’s

Food Guide Pyramid was released Serving size of meat was increased Secretary Madigan: Pyramid would no longer

mislead people into thinking some foods are more important or better for you than others

DHHS might have influenced decision because of contribution to costs of research

August 1992: New version of Pyramid released without USDA’s name because of conflict

Releasing the “New” Pyramid

Substantiated by research, reviewed by experts,

understood by consumers, and approved by USDA Pyramid design made it clear that food groups are

hierarchical Press highlighted conflicts of interest in USDA and criticized

lobbyists role in influencing federal policy Delays and press brought enormous publicity Pyramid is widely used and best-recognized nutrition

education device ever created in U.S. Pyramid serving sizes became standard Effectiveness is questionable because ice cream and

cheese consumption increased

Survival of the Pyramid: Implications

As of June, 2011:

USDA has replaced the Pyramid with a plate