USDA seeks public comment on its update of the Food Guidance System

Food & Drink Weekly, July 19, 2004

USDA Secretary Ann Veneman on July 12 announced that USDA will seek written comments and hold a public meeting to provide opportunity for public input into its comprehensive review and update of the Food Guidance System.

"Effective food guidance can help educate the public on healthy diets and lifestyles," Veneman said. "We are seeking public input on how to best present the most current nutritional science in a form that assists the public in personalizing the information so they can make healthier choices."

The reassessment of the Food Guidance System parallels the revision of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans currently underway. Development of the new food guidance system has been conducted in phases.

In the first phase, USDA gathered information through technical research, professional and public input and consumer research to update the guidance system's daily food intake patterns to meet the latest nutritional standards.

The next and final phase includes developing an updated graphic image and educational materials that communicate in ways that consumers can more easily understand and put into practice.

Last week, USDA published in the Federal Register a notice seeking public comments on the graphic image along with the motivational and educational messages for a new Food Guidance System. While USDA encourages written comments on all aspects of the proposed Food Guidance System, the Federal Register notice identifies six particular areas of interest, including the configuration of the new graphic, strategies to improve awareness and motivation for using the information, methods to assist consumers in personalizing the system, strategies to improve educational messages, interactive tools to demonstrate the messages and communication delivery channels for the messages.

The Federal Register notice calls for a 45-day comment period. In addition, a public stakeholder meeting will be held Aug. 19, 2004 in Washington, DC. Final release of the new Food Guidance System and related consumer materials is scheduled for early 2005, following the release of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans.