New Dietary Guidelines Were Written by Authors With Strong Ties to the Food Industry, Doctors Report

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine revealed today that the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans were written by authors with strong ties to the food industry. Of nine scientific review authors, at least seven had industry ties. The authors declared receiving research funding or other compensation from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the Texas Beef Council, General Mills, the National Dairy Council, and the National Pork Board, among other companies.

The authors with industry ties include:

1. Ty Beal, PhD: Scientific advisory committee member for food and agriculture project “Comprehensive and evidence-based global assessment of the contribution of livestock to food security, sustainable food systems, nutrition and healthy diets.”
2. J. Thomas Brenna, PhD: Financial relationships declared with Global Dairy Platform, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Texas Beef Council, General Mills, and the American Dairy Science Association.
3. Michael Goran, PhD: Financial relationships with infant formula companies.
4. Donald Layman, PhD, FASN: Financial relationships with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Dairy Council.
5. Heather Leidy, PhD, FASN: Financial relationships with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Pork Board, General Mills, and Novo Nordisk.
6. Ameer Taha, PhD: Financial relationship with California Dairy and Dairy Management Inc.
7. Jeff Volek, PhD, RD: Scientific advisor for Simply Good Foods, which owns Atkins® and Quest Nutrition®, brands that sell low-carbohydrate food products.

“The Administration has been hoodwinked by scientists working for the dairy and meat industries, rather than for the health of Americans,” says Anna Herby, DHSc, RD, CDE, nutrition education specialist for the Physicians Committee.

This bias of these authors is reflected in the new Guidelines, which heavily promote meat and dairy and mistakenly warn of nutrient deficiencies in vegan and vegetarian dietary patterns. These industry ties beg the question of whether the recommendations are in the best interest of the American people suffering from diet-related chronic disease, or food industry companies who benefit from increased sales of their products.

For decades, the Guidelines have incorporated the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Federal law required this committee to be “fairly balanced in terms of points of view represented” such that “the advice and recommendations of the advisory committee will not be inappropriately influenced by the appointing authority or any special interest.”  The new Guidelines sidestep these longstanding protections by ignoring the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s recent scientific report and relying instead on the recommendations of a hastily assembled panel of industry insiders, without any oversight or input by the public.

“Research is clear that eating a diet focused on meat and dairy increases risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and some types of cancer” says Dr. Herby. “These new Guidelines will do very little to help Americans make healthier food choices.”

Meat and dairy products are significant sources of saturated fat, which the Guidelines state should be limited to no more than 10% of calories. The Guidelines then go on to promote these foods as “real food” that should be prioritized in the diet, sending a confusing message to the public. Recent research in the Annals of Internal Medicine has reaffirmed that saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol, putting individuals at higher risk for cardiovascular disease.

Prior to the issuance of the 2000 Guidelines, the Physicians Committee sued under the Federal Advisory Committee Act and the Freedom of Information Act, arguing that six of the 11 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee members had financial ties to the meat, dairy, or egg industries and that these financial ties might increase the likelihood that unhealthy foods would remain in the Guidelines. A federal court agreed that the government had violated both laws. The Physicians Committee also challenged improprieties in the 2010, 2015, and 2020 Guidelines in federal court.

The Physicians Committee has also issued a news release on what the new Guidelines get correct and where they need to be modified.