Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020

Staff Writer, Nicole Meyer-Greene

Health / Food 
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The SAD, Standard American Diet, has been updated:

The Dietary Guidelines is required under the 1990 National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act, which states that every 5 years, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) must jointly publish a report containing nutritional and dietary information and guidelines for the general public. The statute (Public Law 101-445, 7 U.S.C. 5341 et seq.) requires that the Dietary Guidelines be based on the preponderance of current scientific and medical knowledge. The 2015-2020 edition of the Dietary Guidelines builds from the 2010 edition with revisions based on the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and consideration of Federal agency and public comments.

Previous editions of the Dietary Guidelines focused primarily on individual dietary components such as food groups and nutrients. However, people do not eat food groups and nutrients in isolation but rather in combination, and the totality of the diet forms an overall eating pattern. The components of the eating pattern can have interactive and potentially cumulative effects on health. These patterns can be tailored to an individual’s personal preferences, enabling Americans to choose the diet that is right for them. As a result, healthy eating patterns and their food and nutrient characteristics are a focus of the recommendations in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines.

The Dietary Guidelines is designed for nutrition and health professionals to help all individuals ages 2 years and older and their families consume a healthy, nutritionally adequate diet. The information in the Dietary Guidelines is used by policymakers in developing Federal food, nutrition, and health policies and programs. It also is the basis for Federal nutrition education materials designed for the public and for the nutrition education components of HHS and USDA food programs.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the 8th edition released since 1980 and remains the current edition until the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is released.

Source: USDA

Agriculture Coexistence with GMO's, USDA Commentary Period

Staff Writer, DL Mullan

Nature / Farming

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The USDA has opened up a commentary period for people to send their thoughts and opinions to the government about food production.:

USDA Requests Public Input on ‘Agricultural Coexistence.’

USDA published a request for public comments (FR Vol.78, No. 213, Nov. 4, 2013) on how agricultural coexistence in the United States can be strengthened. Comments will be accepted through January 3, 2014. OSA and other organizations have requested a 60-day extension to this deadline. We will notify you if there is an extension. For now, we need you to comment!

How to comment
Comment online at Regulations.gov.
Send comments via postal mail to: Docket No. APHIS-2013-0047, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station, 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238

This opportunity only lasts until January 3rd, 2014 to let the USDA how you feel about GMO crops contaminating the rest of the food supply through big agriculture's farming practices

Non-GMO agriculture has shouldered the burden of contamination for too long. This is our opportunity to tell USDA that it must use its authority to (1) implement mandatory contamination prevention measures to avoid the problem and protect the organic and non-GMO sector, and (2) ensure shared responsibility for the unwanted spread of GE products, including a fair compensation mechanism that does not further burden those who avoid, and sometimes are harmed by, contamination.

Please read the source material before commenting so there is a cohesive understanding of what is being asked of the public.: Seed Broadcast Blog. Then comment away! 

This procedure is how things are changed. Let's change farming practices for the better and remove GMO's from our food supply.

 Source: Seed Broadcast Blog