Support the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s Recommendation to the USDA

As we have noted recently, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the nation’s top nutrition advisory panel, has put forward a recommendation to update its 2015 guidelines (think of the food pyramid) to factor in the health of the environment as well as the health of individuals in its recommendations. As many of us are aware, the primary cause of environmental degradation, arguably on the planet, is that caused by the keeping of livestock, and by fishing, so the Advisory Committee has just, ipso facto, recommended the reduction of the consumption of meat and dairy products.

We should be aware that this is, potentially, absolutely huge in terms of impact. Think about the oversized role that concepts such as the food pyramid play in shaping dietary narratives. In addition, the guidelines are regularly consulted when designing school menus and food assistance programs.

The role of livestock in the destruction of local water supplies, the erosion of fertile topsoil, and even the current mass extinction of species is well established. A recent Oxford University study concluded that cutting one’s meat intake in half could cut their carbon footprint by more than 35 percent. The United Nations has recently concluded that livestock is responsible for 14.5 percent of the world’s human-caused emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency has stated that 1,000 gallons of water are required to produce just one gallon of milk.

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