NCBA Not Happy With Dietary Recommendations

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is disappointed by some of the changes that are proposed in the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.  One suggestion for the United States’ new dietary guidelines is moving beans, peas, and lentils from being a subgroup of the Vegetable category to being a subgroup of the Protein category “to align with evidence to encourage plant sources” of protein.  NCBA President and Wyoming rancher Mark Eisele called the trend to push people away from meat and toward plant-based proteins “terrible”.

“We work with an outstanding group of dietitians and meat scientists, and they make sure that those guidelines really are adequate," Eisele noted.  "So, we're working to push against that. We want to make sure we have a voice for school lunches, Department of Defense and the Dietary Guidelines, that includes beef as a good, nutritious, protein.”

Eisele said cutting back on beef consumption won’t make Americans healthy again.

“It's not really addressing concerns, and I think it would head off a lot of childhood diseases in addition to adult problems that we have.  I just read a fascinating story that almost half of India is diabetic.  And that's why? Because they don't eat meat.  They don't eat beef, so it's obviously not working.”

The report also recommends reorganizing the order of the Protein Foods Group.  It suggests putting beans, peas, and lentils first; nuts, seeds, and soy products second; seafood third; and meat, poultry, and eggs last.

NCBA will submit comments to the federal Agriculture Department and the Health and Human Services Department, and Eisele encourages cattle producers to do the same.  The comment period on the proposed 2025 dietary guidelines is open until January 16th.

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