Newly designed food pyramid met with mixed reviews
Newly designed food pyramid met with mixed reviews
WASHINGTON - When the Dietary Guidelines boosted the daily recommended allowance of fruits and vegetables to five-to-13 servings per day from five-to-nine servings, the produce industry eagerly awaited the design of the new graphic that would guide consumers in making smart dietary choices.
On April 19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its long-awaited redesigned food pyramid to mixed reviews from members of the produce industry.
"MyPyramid is about the ability of Americans to personalize their approach when choosing a healthier lifestyle that balances nutrition and exercise," Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said at the April 19 unveiling of the Steps to a Healthier You graphic.
The new graphic turns the 1992 pyramid on its side as designers opted to keep the symbol that is so widely recognized by consumers. All the food-group bands run from the top of the pyramid to the base, and the different sizes reflect the proportion of foods consumers should eat from each food group.
The bands are much wider at the base to remind people to eat mostly foods without solid fats and sugars. Orange is for grains, green is for vegetables, red is for fruit, blue is for milk products, purple is for meat and beans, and yellow is for oils.
Every single American can find a MyPyramid that is right for them at mypyramid.gov with personalized recommendations on the kinds and the amounts of food to eat each day, said Secretary Johanns. The slogan 'Steps to a Healthier You' tells us that each one of us can benefit by starting to make even very small steps toward healthier lifestyles.
Lastly, the pyramids symbol of a person climbing the steps shows the importance of physical activity, which received only praise as a key change from the 12-year-old symbol.
For those computer-savvy consumers, the new pyramid includes an extensive educational tool at mypyramid.com that includes personalized diet plans and physical activity recommendations. The interactive activities make it easy for individuals to key in their age, gender and physical activity level so that they can get a more personalized recommendation on their daily calorie level based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Mypyramid.gov also includes a Spanish language version and a soon-to-be-completed, child-friendly version for children and teachers.
Keeping with the recognized graphic was a smart move, said Kathy Means, vice president of government relations at the Produce Marketing Association. She praised the fact that the fruit and vegetable bands combined represented about one-third of the pyramid and that the new design dishes out advice in serving sizes.
We commend USDA for using language that clearly conveys the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables. This speaks to consumers in their own language and helps them understand exactly how much produce they should be eating each day, she said.
But Produce for Better Health Foundation President Elizabeth Pivonka described the new graphic as a disappointment and a lost opportunity to convey the sweeping new message in the Dietary Guidelines.
MyPyramid misses the mark for most Americans, replacing an American icon with an oversimplified, uncommunicative visual that leaves out real guidance for a nation hungry for direction, Ms. Pivonka said in a statement. Most importantly, it fails to stress the importance of increasing fruit and vegetable intake for better health and to control weight. In the process, it fails Americans public health.
People who are more in need of dietary advice and do not have access to the interactive computer information will be left out in the cold, she said. The latest Dietary Guidelines were the strongest theyve ever been and the least political, she said, but the new pyramid does a poor job conveying the message and the all-foods-fit approach is a disservice to consumers.
The foundation is in the middle of retooling its 5 A Day message in light of the new dietary recommendations, but the group still wants to capture the equity of the much-recognized 5 A Day branding, she said. It will take some months to develop it as PBH works with its government partners.
The foundation has been testing its own graphic of dinner-plate sections with different foods that represent a healthy diet. Ms. Pivonka said that focus groups thought the graphic of make fruits and vegetables half your plate every meal was the most widely appealing and understandable. The group shared it with USDA, but the agency did not like it, she said.
Now that USDA has announced the new pyramid, questions remain on the degree to which the government plans to sell the new dietary advice. We applaud the governments plans to direct more resources toward reaching consumers with these important messages, said Robert Guenther, United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Associations vice president of public policy.
However, the government has made similar nutrition outreach efforts in the past with very poor results. There is a tremendous, devastating gap between the advice presented by government experts and the way people actually live, and it will take more than a new shape and communication strategy to achieve real lifestyle change and improve public health, he said.
In the coming years, our government must show a real commitment to addressing the environmental, economic and policy factors that encourage eating patterns different from these guidelines. Food choices are influenced by a number of factors, including access, cost, availability, taste and convenience, that the government must recognize if we are serious about integrating this new guidance into peoples lives, said Mr. Guenther.
On April 19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its long-awaited redesigned food pyramid to mixed reviews from members of the produce industry.
"MyPyramid is about the ability of Americans to personalize their approach when choosing a healthier lifestyle that balances nutrition and exercise," Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said at the April 19 unveiling of the Steps to a Healthier You graphic.
The new graphic turns the 1992 pyramid on its side as designers opted to keep the symbol that is so widely recognized by consumers. All the food-group bands run from the top of the pyramid to the base, and the different sizes reflect the proportion of foods consumers should eat from each food group.
The bands are much wider at the base to remind people to eat mostly foods without solid fats and sugars. Orange is for grains, green is for vegetables, red is for fruit, blue is for milk products, purple is for meat and beans, and yellow is for oils.
Every single American can find a MyPyramid that is right for them at mypyramid.gov with personalized recommendations on the kinds and the amounts of food to eat each day, said Secretary Johanns. The slogan 'Steps to a Healthier You' tells us that each one of us can benefit by starting to make even very small steps toward healthier lifestyles.
Lastly, the pyramids symbol of a person climbing the steps shows the importance of physical activity, which received only praise as a key change from the 12-year-old symbol.
For those computer-savvy consumers, the new pyramid includes an extensive educational tool at mypyramid.com that includes personalized diet plans and physical activity recommendations. The interactive activities make it easy for individuals to key in their age, gender and physical activity level so that they can get a more personalized recommendation on their daily calorie level based on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Mypyramid.gov also includes a Spanish language version and a soon-to-be-completed, child-friendly version for children and teachers.
Keeping with the recognized graphic was a smart move, said Kathy Means, vice president of government relations at the Produce Marketing Association. She praised the fact that the fruit and vegetable bands combined represented about one-third of the pyramid and that the new design dishes out advice in serving sizes.
We commend USDA for using language that clearly conveys the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables. This speaks to consumers in their own language and helps them understand exactly how much produce they should be eating each day, she said.
But Produce for Better Health Foundation President Elizabeth Pivonka described the new graphic as a disappointment and a lost opportunity to convey the sweeping new message in the Dietary Guidelines.
MyPyramid misses the mark for most Americans, replacing an American icon with an oversimplified, uncommunicative visual that leaves out real guidance for a nation hungry for direction, Ms. Pivonka said in a statement. Most importantly, it fails to stress the importance of increasing fruit and vegetable intake for better health and to control weight. In the process, it fails Americans public health.
People who are more in need of dietary advice and do not have access to the interactive computer information will be left out in the cold, she said. The latest Dietary Guidelines were the strongest theyve ever been and the least political, she said, but the new pyramid does a poor job conveying the message and the all-foods-fit approach is a disservice to consumers.
The foundation is in the middle of retooling its 5 A Day message in light of the new dietary recommendations, but the group still wants to capture the equity of the much-recognized 5 A Day branding, she said. It will take some months to develop it as PBH works with its government partners.
The foundation has been testing its own graphic of dinner-plate sections with different foods that represent a healthy diet. Ms. Pivonka said that focus groups thought the graphic of make fruits and vegetables half your plate every meal was the most widely appealing and understandable. The group shared it with USDA, but the agency did not like it, she said.
Now that USDA has announced the new pyramid, questions remain on the degree to which the government plans to sell the new dietary advice. We applaud the governments plans to direct more resources toward reaching consumers with these important messages, said Robert Guenther, United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Associations vice president of public policy.
However, the government has made similar nutrition outreach efforts in the past with very poor results. There is a tremendous, devastating gap between the advice presented by government experts and the way people actually live, and it will take more than a new shape and communication strategy to achieve real lifestyle change and improve public health, he said.
In the coming years, our government must show a real commitment to addressing the environmental, economic and policy factors that encourage eating patterns different from these guidelines. Food choices are influenced by a number of factors, including access, cost, availability, taste and convenience, that the government must recognize if we are serious about integrating this new guidance into peoples lives, said Mr. Guenther.
