Guest Columns

Perspective:
Industry Issues

Dairy’s role in Dietary Guidelines

Michael Dykes

Michael Dykes, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, contributes this column bimonthly for Cheese Market News®.

The last public meeting of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) was held in late October, and the group of scientists and nutritionists seemed poised to recommend maintaining three servings of dairy per day in the diets of most Americans. For months, the committee sent mixed signals. Would they recommend reducing dairy servings? Would they suggest removing the dairy category entirely? At one point, they discussed lumping dairy with all proteins in a super-protein group. In the end, however, the committee reached the same conclusion that all others before it had: There is an overwhelming body of science demonstrating dairy nutrition is essential and delivers multiple health benefits to people of all ages. Further, the nutrients available in dairy are just not available in any other single food in the same way.

Once the committee publishes its scientific report later this year, the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) are responsible for co-writing and publishing the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) report next year.

Some readers may ask: What is the DGAC? Every five years, HHS and USDA form a DGAC composed of scientists, nutritionists and academics and charge them with reviewing the latest and emerging science on nutrition and diet. At a series of public meetings where groups like the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and farmers and everyday Americans participate, the committee openly discusses their questions and impressions on the science, taking comments and questions from the public. Eventually, they publish their conclusions in a report, which HHS and USDA use as the basis of writing the Dietary Guidelines report.

Why care so much about the DGA? First, the U.S. government spends more than $40 billion on federal nutrition programs that are informed by the DGA, including school meals. Second, the DGA informs the dietary guidance given by physicians, dietitians, nutritionists, personal trainers and others in the public health space. Third, the DGA potentially affects how retailers market nutrition information in-store, as well as marketing on product labels, recipe websites, restaurant menus and other places.

With that in mind, I was disappointed to see the committee once again dismiss the growing body of scientific evidence supporting the inclusion of nutritious dairy at all fat levels in various dietary patterns. By continuing to exclude fuller-fat dairy — whole and 2% milk, cheese, whole milk yogurt and cottage cheese, and butter — the DGA contributes to an unfair, negative stigma surrounding dairy.

For at least a decade, dairy groups and public health groups alike have shared scientific evidence demonstrating that consumption of dairy products, including full-fat products, is not associated with higher risk of negative health outcomes, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. In fact, the preponderance of scientific evidence contradicts the outdated DGA recommendation that Americans avoid dairy at higher fat levels.

By expanding the variety of dairy products that are recommended for consumption to Americans, public health officials can narrow the gap between recommended servings and current intake. For example, adolescents on average consume 1.6 to 2 servings of dairy per day, well below the recommendations of 3 servings per day.

Yet nearly 80% of all households with children serve whole and 2% milk because that is the milk children prefer. If children avoid nonfat and 1% milk in schools, they also avoid milk’s essential nutrients. The DGA must not contribute to nutrient avoidance.

Moreover, the credibility of the Dietary Guidelines depends on the public’s ability to trust that the recommendations are grounded in the best available science. During this latest DGAC process, IDFA and other groups pointed to a lack of transparency and scientific rigor. For example, in a meeting in May, the DGAC appeared to verbally discard approximately 100 relevant studies on the relationship between dietary patterns and cardiovascular disease (some studies including dairy showed neutral to positive associations between dairy fat and cardiovascular health). These studies had previously met the committee’s criteria but were excluded without discussion or explanation.

In the end, the DGAC left the door open for further dialogue on the health benefits of fuller-fat dairy. We must begin that dialogue now. Now is the time for the dairy industry to begin working to prepare for the 2030-2035 DGA. We must continue to support peer-reviewed research and trials on the health outcomes associated with fuller-fat dairy consumption. Dairy organizations must partner with grassroots organizations and public health professionals to better understand the challenges in reaching Americans of all backgrounds, cultures and races with appropriate dairy nutrition.

Science shows that dairy products are an unparalleled source of essential nutrients across all life stages. To reach dairy’s true potential, our industry must get more focused on dairy’s role in the Dietary Guidelines.

CMN

The views expressed by CMN’s guest columnists are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of Cheese Market News®.

© 2024 Cheese Market News • Quarne Publishing, LLC • Legal Information • Online Privacy Policy • Terms and Conditions
Cheese Market News • Business/Advertising Office: P.O. Box 628254 • Middleton, WI 53562 • 608/831-6002
Cheese Market News • Editorial Office: 5315 Wall Street, Suite 100 • Madison, WI 53718 • 608/288-9090