Time To Rein In The Industry-Run USDA
Internal Documents Reveal USDA Dietary Guidelines Panel Dominated by a Profession Under Fire
Washington, DC–December 15, 2011–Under pressure from the Healthy Nation Coalition, the USDA recently revealed the identities of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines “Independent Scientific Review Panel,” which is credited with peer-reviewing the Guidelines to ensure they are based on the preponderance of the scientific evidence available. Seven out of the eight panel members are Registered Dietitians (RDs), chosen according to the USDA, “for their knowledge in nutrition communication and dietary guidance.”
At the same time, RDs across America are reeling from the news that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will not reimburse them to provide intensive behavioral counseling for obesity. While the Federal government appears to be relying on RDs as experts in the midst of America’s obesity crisis, it doesn’t want to pay them to help people lose weight. This news comes as the American Dietetic Association (ADA)—the professional organization for RDs—is under scrutiny for its ties to food and pharmaceutical industries.
“An ongoing investigation by Congress recently revealed that the ADA receives over $1 million a year in payments from pharmaceutical companies and an undisclosed amount from companies such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Hershey. In addition to receiving payments from industries with obvious conflicts of interest, earlier this year the Alliance for Natural Health-USA revealed that ADA’s continuing education courses for RDs are being taught by the Coca-Cola Company’s Beverage Institute,” stated Darrell Rogers from Alliance for Natural Health-USA. RDs have voiced their dissatisfaction with the ADA’s corporate ties, with members indicating that the ADA’s relationship with corporate sponsors has a negative impact on the public image of RDs and undermines the credibility of the profession.
Credibility has been further undermined by the lack of evidence that the methods RDs use to treat obesity are effective. The ADA’s own Evidence Analysis Library contains few studies that demonstrate that dietitian-led dietary interventions result in meaningful weight loss.
As a result, many insurance companies, and now CMS, do not reimburse RDs for its treatment. Tennessee’s state insurance doesn’t cover seeing a dietitian for weight loss. Why? “There’s really no evidence to support the fact that providing those services would result in a decrease in medical cost, certainly not immediately, and even in the longer term,” according to Dr. Wendy Long, chief medical officer of TennCare.
This lack of evidence may be due in part to the limited scope of dietetic education and practice. The ADA relies on the USDA as a scientific authority and follows its lead in most matters of nutrition, limiting the training of RDs to USDA-approved diet recommendations.
Valerie Berkowitz, RD, Director of Nutrition at the Center for Balanced Health and author of the award-winning nutrition guide “The Stubborn Fat Fix” states: “Registered Dietitians lack education and practice in manipulating macronutrients [protein, fat, and carbohydrate] to switch fuel sources from carbohydrate to fat burning. It is unfortunate that educators do not acknowledge the therapeutic value of lower carbohydrate consumption at least as an additional tool to increase the success of medical nutrition therapy for obesity prevention and treatment.”
The ADA not only limits the training of RDs, it is sponsoring legislation in New York and multiple other states that would essentially restrict the practice of nutrition to RDs, and outlaw highly-qualified non-RD nutrition professionals from practicing. If successful, this would restrict consumer choice of nutrition professionals to those trained to follow USDA recommendations.
Given the ADA’s close ties with the food and drug industry and the lack of effectiveness for USDA-approved dietitian-led interventions for obesity, the public should be concerned about the dominant role that RDs and other ADA members played in the creation of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. In addition to the Independent Scientific Review Panel being comprised primarily of RDs, ADA members were also one-third of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the group of experts that creates the Report that guides the writing of the Dietary Guidelines. The majority of the USDA and HHS staff members who worked with the Committee or on the Dietary Guidelines are also RDs.
According to Adele Hite, Director of the Healthy Nation Coalition and lead author of a 2010 peer-reviewed article examining the limitations of the Dietary Guideline process, “The ADA is an industry-friendly organization. The USDA appears to rely on the dietetics focus of ADA-trained Registered Dietitians to confirm their own industry-friendly guidelines. The self-supporting relationship between the ADA and the USDA does not benefit either the credibility of RDs or the health of Americans.”
The Healthy Nation Coalition is an organization dedicated to improving the health of Americans through reforming national food and nutrition policy and does not solicit or accept contributions from the food or pharmaceutical industry.
Media Contact: Kimberly Hartke, Publicist
Hartke Communications
703-860-2711, 703-675-5557
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Shrimp à la Creole
A classic dish of wild-caught Gulf shrimp with lots of fresh celery, onions, garlic and green peppers in a base of tomatoes, shrimp stock, fresh thyme, parsley and oregano, cayenne, black pepper and sea salt..
Shrimp à la Creole (adapted from a recipe at nolacuisine.com)
2 pounds fresh shrimp (save shells to make shrimp stock)
2 tablespoons pastured butter
1 tablespoon bacon grease
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons creole seasoning
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2-1/2 cups very ripe fresh tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups shrimp stock
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 fresh bay leaves
cayenne to taste
sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly-ground white pepper
1 bunch fresh thyme
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
2 tablespoons Tabasco
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup green onions, green tops thinly sliced, white part sliced into 1/4″ thickness
1/8 cup flat leaf parsley, minced
Melt the butter in a large sauce pan with the bacon grease over medium high heat. When the butter begins to froth, add 1/2 cup of the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown. Add the remaining onions, celery, and bell pepper, reduce the heat to medium and season with 1 tbsp creole seasoning and a healthy pinch of salt. Sweat the vegetables until soft.
Add the tomato paste mixing well, and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste begins to brown, then add the fresh tomatoes and another healthy pinch of sea salt (this will help the tomatoes break down). Stir well.
When the tomatoes start to break down into liquid add the white wine and bring to a low boil. Add the shrimp stock, remaining creole seasoning, garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne (to taste), oregano and thyme. Simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Add the hot sauce and Worcestershire and season to taste with sea salt.
Reduce the heat to low and add the shrimp, simmering until just cooked through.
Serve with boiled rice and garnish with the remaining green onions and parsley.
Our Gulf friends are still struggling to recover from last summer’s devastating oil spill. Please support them at every opportunity!
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LOCAL – A Short Documentary
Through the eyes of some of our inspired chefs and farmers, this half hour film from award winning Director Christian Remde discusses the rise of the local food movement, the challenges of sourcing locally and how it’s become a growing part of the Austin, Texas food scene..
Do you know where your food comes from?
Get Ready for the 5th Annual Eat Drink Local Week!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2011
EAT, DRINK AND CELEBRATE- LOCALLY, OF COURSE
SFC joins Urban Roots as beneficiary of 5th Annual Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week
(AUSTIN, TX)— Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week, Austin’s premier local food and drink event, is returning for its fifth year; and this time with bigger and better events to tantalize the taste buds. Serving as one of the driving forces behind the sustainable food movement in Central Texas, Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week successfully raises awareness of the bounty of products grown and made in our region. Their success is achieved each year by partnering with Austin’s favorite restaurants, providing guests with fun and exciting events and raising generous funds for the Sustainable Food Center and Urban Roots. Guests are invited to dine at over 50 participating restaurants that will feature a locally sourced menu, and to attend eight signature events throughout the week that raise awareness of Austin’s vibrant local food scene. This year, Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week will double its fundraising goal to $80,000.
In its first year, Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week raised over $8,000 for Urban Roots, a youth development program that uses sustainable agriculture as a means to transform the lives of young people and increase access to healthy food in Austin. Once a small program under the YouthLaunch umbrella, Urban Roots is now an independent, non-profit organization thanks to the fundraising efforts of Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week.
Sustainable Food Center is excited to announce that they will serve as a beneficiary of this year’s Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week for the first time alongside Urban Roots. SFC cultivates a healthy community by strengthening the local food system and improving access to nutritious, affordable food. In addition to producing three of the area’s largest farmers markets, SFC’s programs include Grow Local, Farm Direct, The Happy Kitchen and Sprouting Healthy Kids. With the help of Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week, SFC can look forward to continued growth as an organization, much like Urban Roots.
By hosting the week-long event in December, guests can enjoy a bountiful selection of local ingredients grown during Central Texas’s most robust growing season. Diners are encouraged to try a special entrée featured on participating restaurants’ menus crafted entirely from locally sourced ingredients. Those who participate can also experience a variety of activities each day of the week to meet local farmers, brewers, distillers, coffee roasters, chocolatiers; sample and shop for local food artisan holiday gifts; help select the Official Drink of Austin; and more.
New to this year’s lineup is an Online Chef Dinner Auction, featuring eight of Austin’s favorite chefs. Bidders won’t want to miss their chance to bring a celebrity chef into their home or private venue for an unforgettable culinary experience for eight of their closest friends and family. This is a first ever fundraising component of Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week. Participants can access the auction now and view dinner details by visiting www.edibleaustin.com/auction.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Bread & Butter Public Relations
Ali Slutsky
815.210.7454
ali@breadandbutterpr.com
Mary Mickel
501.350.3422
mary@breadandbutterpr.com
Edible Aria is not affiliated with Edible Austin. While we’re huge fans of theirs, the naming is purely coincidental.
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Future of Organic Food and Agriculture at Risk
Action alert from The Cornucopia Institute
Dear Secretary Vilsack, Deputy Secretary Merrigan and NOSB members,
As an organic industry stakeholder, I respectfully request that you consider the following:
1. I object to the NOSB and USDA leadership accommodating corporate interests that want to enhance their profits by including gimmicky synthetics and novel, patented ingredients in certified organic food.
Martek Biosciences Corporation’s DHA/ARA oils are inappropriate for use in certified organic foods. Some Martek oils are extracted with the neurotoxic petrochemical hexane, posing questions about human health and environmental impacts.
These supplements, from fermented algae and soil fungus, have never been part of the human diet. In the 
late 1990s, Monsanto Corporation’s scientists genetically modified strains of algae for high DHA production (now marketed by Martek and added to some organic products).
Martek’s oils also contain various synthetic ingredients that have never been petitioned and approved for use in organics. These include ingredients like mannitol, sodium polyphosphate, sodium ascorbate, glucose syrup solids and modified starch.
Adverse reaction reports filed with the FDA indicate at least a subset of infants suffer serious health complications after consuming formula supplemented with Martek oils. Serious and prolonged gastrointestinal illnesses have resulted in hospitalizations and dangerous invasive diagnostic testing. Many of the reports indicate that these babies recovered as soon as the Martek oils were removed from their diets.
Martek creates the impression that scientific consensus supports its DHA and ARA oils as beneficial supplements. But Martek leaves out the preponderance of key studies which point to a single conclusion in independent scientific analysis: Martek DHA in infant formula does not benefit infant development.
2. I object to the NOSB allowing factory farming practices in the production of chickens (both for egg and meat production) and hog production.
The livestock subcommittee’s proposal for requiring 2 square feet per laying hen, outside, is woefully inadequate, as are some of the other recommendations for poultry production (including turkeys) and the miserable amount of space proposed for hogs. These standards would literally make the US the laughingstock in international organic production and marketing. Welfare benchmarks need to be mandated in the regulations, not merely in unenforceable “guidance.”
I support a minimum of 5 square feet per laying hen and enhanced space for pullets, turkey, other fowl and hogs.
3. Enforce the organic standards on factory dairies masquerading as “organic.”
After the organic community has invested almost 11 years of policy debate, attempting to rein-in “factory farms,” milking thousands of cows each and masquerading as organic, it is entirely unacceptable that the USDA has been unwilling to expend the resources necessary to carefully verify whether these dairies, and their certifiers, are complying with the new regulatory benchmarks set in the “pasture rule.”
I respectfully ask USDA leadership to immediately verify that the largest producers of certified organic milk are not economically disadvantaging smaller ethical competitors or continuing to defraud consumers and that new rules immediately be promulgated to prevent conventional cattle from being brought on to organic dairy farms as replacements for expansion.
4. And finally, I want to clearly go on record that I want the Obama administration to appoint the best and brightest representatives in the organic community to sit on the NOSB board, truly upholding the will of Congress. No more corporate-backed imposters!
As a consumer, I buy food with the USDA Organic seal precisely to avoid unproven, questionably safe products like Martek’s oils—genetically novel and synthetic—in my diet and to support humane animal husbandry practices resulting in superior nutrition.
The NOSB should improve animal husbandry standards and reject the Martek petition for “DHA Algal Oil” and “ARA Single-Cell Oil.” I call on the USDA to immediately remove these materials from the marketplace.
Thank you for listening to my concerns.
Sincerely yours,
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Take Back Our Food; The Scourge of Industrial Farming
“Cutting the Curd” gets political with Heather Squire, the coordinator for Occupy Wall Street‘s (#OWS ) food preparation and delivery. From washing dishes to feeding over 3,000 people in a single weekend, Heather explains how she and the food team in Zucotti Park have devised a large-scale food distribution system: The Peoples Kitchen.
Delving into another facet of the food justice movement in tandem with Occupy Wall Street is dairy farmer and activist Lorraine Lewandrowsky and fromager Tia Keenan. The group discusses cheese economics and the plight for more transparency (sic) which comes from more small dairies and less industrial farming and processing. Learn how you can help this movement, from volunteering to sending food supplies or attending the Occupy Big Food movement.
Related Articles:
- From Slow Food USA
- From Civil Eats
- From the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
- From Mother Jones
