Physicians Group Sues USDA Over Dietary Guidelines

December 17, 1999

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is suing USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services, claiming the dietary guidelines are racially based. A USDA spokesperson, while not commenting directly on the suit, says the guidelines allow for alternatives that take into account dietary differences.

PCRM claims at least six of the 11 dietary guidelines advisory committee members have or have had ties with the meat, egg or dairy industries. That, says PCRM President Neal D. Barnard "is like having Joe Camel on a committee designed to help people quit smoking."

The group also is calling on USDA to acknowledge the "disproportionate toll that chronic diseases, such as diabetes and prostate cancer, exact among minorities" and revise the guidelines to help prevent such conditions. Dairy products should be made optional rather than required because lactose intolerance is commonplace among minorities, the group adds.

Since 1985, an "external" advisory committee has been appointed jointly by USDA and HHS, the spokesperson says. Selections are made "to reflect a balance of technical expertise" in all areas pertaining to the guidelines, including special diets, medicine, nutrition and epidemiology.

The guidelines are based on science and reflect "an emerging consensus of scientific research." When applied to the School Lunch Program, USDA requires that meals meet the guidelines but that schools, according to law, must offer alternative food items to meet special dietary needs. Milk is offered by statutory requirement.