USDA to launch seven-prong push for better eating
By JERRY HAGSTROM
The Agriculture Department is planning a series of seven special campaigns to encourage Americans to eat better and eat less.
The campaigns, which will begin this September and end in December 2013, will focus on specific foods and eating habits and, if successful, change what Americans eat and how. The campaigns will be run by the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, a division of USDA’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services mission area, whose task is to improve the health and well-being of Americans by developing and promoting dietary guidance that links scientific research to the nutrition needs of consumers.
Robert Post, deputy director of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, announced the campaign at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting and food expo, which was held in New Orleans last week.
In an interview, Post said the nutrition center is launching the campaign as part of the effort to promote USDA’s “My Plate” icon, which encourages Americans to consume more nutrient-dense foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and seafood, and eat less sodium, saturated and trans fats, added sugars, and refined grains.
Over the next several years, USDA will work with First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative and public and private partners to promote MyPlate and [ChooseMyPlate.gov](http://www.choosemyplate.gov/), as well as the supporting nutrition messages and “how-to” resources, he added.
As part of the initiative, USDA is encouraging consumers to show how they are putting MyPlate into action by taking photos of their plates and sharing them on Twitter with the hash-tag #MyPlate.
The department also wants to see where and when consumers think about healthy eating, and is encouraging people to snap photographs with the MyPlate icon to share with the USDA Flickr Photo Group.
At the food technologists’ meeting, the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion also announced the creation of a nutrition communicators’ network consisting of community partnerships and national strategic partners.
Community partnerships include educators, community programs, doctors, schools, and authors. Examples of national strategic partners include large national organizations such as healthcare corporations, media outlets, grocery retailers, health professional associations, restaurant chains, and food manufacturers.
One of the first strategic partners approved by USDA is the Produce for Better Health Foundation, a consumer education program sponsored by produce growers, shippers, packers, processors, merchandisers, commodity boards, trade associations, food industry organizations, health professionals, and supermarkets. The foundation works in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and promotes the consumption of all kinds of fruits and vegetables: fresh, canned, frozen and dried.
The Agriculture Department is planning a series of seven special campaigns to encourage Americans to eat better and eat less.
The campaigns, which will begin this September and end in December 2013, will focus on specific foods and eating habits and, if successful, change what Americans eat and how. The campaigns will be run by the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, a division of USDA’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services mission area, whose task is to improve the health and well-being of Americans by developing and promoting dietary guidance that links scientific research to the nutrition needs of consumers.
Robert Post, deputy director of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, announced the campaign at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting and food expo, which was held in New Orleans last week.
Schedule for the campaigns
- September-December 2011: Make half the plate fruits and vegetables
- January-April 2012: Enjoy food, but eat less
- May-August 2012: Drink water instead of sugary drinks
- September-December 2012: Make at least half the grains whole grains
- January-April 2013: Avoid oversized portions
- May-August 2013: Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose the foods with lower numbers
- September-December 2013: Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk
In an interview, Post said the nutrition center is launching the campaign as part of the effort to promote USDA’s “My Plate” icon, which encourages Americans to consume more nutrient-dense foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and seafood, and eat less sodium, saturated and trans fats, added sugars, and refined grains.
Over the next several years, USDA will work with First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative and public and private partners to promote MyPlate and [ChooseMyPlate.gov](http://www.choosemyplate.gov/), as well as the supporting nutrition messages and “how-to” resources, he added.
As part of the initiative, USDA is encouraging consumers to show how they are putting MyPlate into action by taking photos of their plates and sharing them on Twitter with the hash-tag #MyPlate.
The department also wants to see where and when consumers think about healthy eating, and is encouraging people to snap photographs with the MyPlate icon to share with the USDA Flickr Photo Group.
At the food technologists’ meeting, the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion also announced the creation of a nutrition communicators’ network consisting of community partnerships and national strategic partners.
Community partnerships include educators, community programs, doctors, schools, and authors. Examples of national strategic partners include large national organizations such as healthcare corporations, media outlets, grocery retailers, health professional associations, restaurant chains, and food manufacturers.
One of the first strategic partners approved by USDA is the Produce for Better Health Foundation, a consumer education program sponsored by produce growers, shippers, packers, processors, merchandisers, commodity boards, trade associations, food industry organizations, health professionals, and supermarkets. The foundation works in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and promotes the consumption of all kinds of fruits and vegetables: fresh, canned, frozen and dried.
