IDFA, NMPF urge Dietary Guidelines Committee to consider full range of scientific literature
Literature from recent years shows that dairy foods, regardless of fat level, appear to have either neutral or beneficial effects on health outcomes.
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va.-based National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) are urging the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) to include the full body of scientific literature from recent years showing that dairy foods, regardless of fat level, appear to have either neutral or beneficial effects on health outcomes. In letters to the secretaries of Agriculture and of Health and Human Services, as well as Barbara Schneeman, Ph.D., chairwoman of the committee, IDFA said it commends the committee for undertaking an enormous amount of analysis in a compressed time period and encourages the committee and federal agencies to include all relevant scientific studies in the final Dietary Guidelines for Americans report to be published in late 2020.
“If the committee concludes its work without coming to any conclusions on the benefits of dairy at each fat level, and instead simply defaults to a recommendation for low-fat and fat-free forms because of a generalized concern about saturated fats in overall dietary patterns, this will represent a lost opportunity to share newer science with consumers, health professionals and policy makers and contribute to ongoing confusion about the healthfulness of dairy,” reads the June 15 letter, signed by both IDFA and NMPF. “We therefore request the DGAC complete its review by including all relevant scientific studies that bear on these questions and, if the findings so indicate, recommend Americans to incorporate dairy foods in all forms as an integral part of all dietary patterns.”