FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Grocery Manufacturers Association Unveils Guiding Principles As 2010 Dietary Guidelines Revision Process Begins
Contact:
Scott Openshaw, Director, Communications, 202-295-3957
Brian Kennedy, Director, Communications, 202-639-5994
October 31, 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee held its first public meeting this week, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) expressed its eagerness to begin working with the committee as it reviews and updates the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. GMA also unveiled a set of guiding principles for the Committee to consider as it contemplates potential revisions to the Guidelines.
“We are very pleased that this important process is underway and we look forward to working with the Committee as it reviews and updates the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” said GMA Vice President of Science Policy, Nutrition and Health Bob Earl. “The Guidelines are an important tool for educating consumers about diet and health, but for them to have a real impact on public health, they must be easily understood, easily implemented, and trigger behavioral change by the public.”
The Dietary Guidelines are the foundation for not only MyPyramid, our government’s primary food guidance system for consumers, but also for other important government programs such as federally-funded school lunches and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). It is therefore essential that any revisions to the Guidelines be carefully considered. GMA has recommended a set of guiding principles for the Committee to consider as it moves through this process.
The overarching goal, as outlined within these principles, is to reach consumers and make the Dietary Guidelines relevant to consumers’ everyday lives and to balance energy intake with energy expenditure. To help ensure that the updated Dietary Guidelines and the MyPyramid food guidance system are relevant to all Americans, GMA emphasizes the importance of consumer research to learn what barriers may exist – specifically socioeconomic and cultural factors – that could complicate, delay or prevent proper implementation.
1. They must be relevant to how consumers live today and their evolving and complex lifestyles.
2. They must recognize the important and positive role that the enjoyment of food plays in our family, cultural, and social lives.
3. They should help Americans lead healthy, active lives by providing consumers with guidance on nutrition AND physical activity and balancing their caloric intake and their energy expenditure.
4. They must recognize the different nutritional and activity needs of children, adults, and senior citizens.
5. They must recognize the different circumstances of and communicate effectively to diverse populations such as Hispanics and African Americans.
6. They must be based on science that is peer-reviewed and evaluated through evidence analysis.
7. They should provide parents and educators with the tools they need to be effective role models and to teach children healthy habits early.
8. They must be supported by nutrition and physical education programs that have been demonstrated to be effective.
9. They must include clear measurement and evaluation so that we will know if they are making a meaningful difference for public health.
10. The Dietary Guidelines should be aligned with upcoming Physical Activity Guidelines, and incorporate any future revisions to the MyPyramid food guidance system.
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Based in Washington, D.C., the Grocery Manufacturers Association is the voice of more than 300 leading food, beverage and consumer product companies that sustain and enhance the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe. Founded in 1908, GMA is an active, vocal advocate for its member companies and a trusted source of information about the industry and the products consumers rely on and enjoy every day. The association and its member companies are committed to meeting the needs of consumers through product innovation, responsible business practices and effective public policy solutions developed through a genuine partnership with policymakers and other stakeholders. In keeping with its founding principles, GMA helps its members produce safe products through a strong and ongoing commitment to scientific research, testing and evaluation and to providing consumers with the products, tools and information they need to achieve a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. The food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry in the United States generates sales of $2.1 trillion annually, employs 14 million workers and contributes $1 trillion in added value to the economy every year.
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