Redesigning the Process for Establishing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans : LC Research/Media Forum : Active Low-Carber Forums

#16 ^

Sun, Feb-11-18, 08:08

JEY100 JEY100 is online now

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I am speechless.

http://www.ibtimes.com/political-ca...delines-2652024

Quote:

USDA Plagued With Conflicts As It Sets Dietary Guidelines

As use of high-fructose corn syrup has increased, so have levels of obesity and related health problems,” writes registered dietician Katherine Zeratsky on the Mayo Clinic website.

But at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a recent corn syrup lobbyist is helping set the nation’s 2020 Dietary Guidelines and administer the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program.

Kailee Tkacz, who left her lobbying job with the Corn Refiners Association to join the USDA last July, has no significant nutritional science background, nor any degrees in other branches of science. According to her LinkedIn profile, she studied political science, government and American politics at two universities.

Nonetheless, as International Business Times recently reported, White House General Counsel Donald McGahn issued an ethics waiver allowing Tkacz to advise the USDA on its Dietary Guidelines despite having recently lobbied on the issue for the Corn Refiners Association. Before that, Tkacz lobbied on these guidelines on behalf of the SNAC International, a trade association representing over 400 producers of potato chips, popcorn, cheese snacks, pork rinds and other snack foods.

President Donald Trump campaigned on rooting out corruption in Washington, or “draining the swamp.” But even before he became president, lobbyists and special interests swarmed his transition team and many made their way into the administration.

“Trump campaigned on draining the swamp, but instead he brought all the swamp creatures back,” Jaydee Hanson, senior policy analyst at the Center for Food Safety, told IBT.

In a July 2017 announcement of new appointments to the USDA, Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue said that he had no doubt the corn syrup lobbyist “will help further our mission of feeding the world and making decisions in our nutrition programs that are science-based and data-driven” in her new role as USDA policy advisor.

Marion Nestle, professor emerita at New York University and an acclaimed nutrition expert, told IBT that Perdue “is really making decision after decision that looks like he’s going to protect the food industry. I’m kind of amazed at what he’s doing.”

Continues...it gets worse

https://www.foodpolitics.com/2018/0...ary-guidelines/

Last edited by JEY100 : Sun, Feb-11-18 at 08:15.

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#17 ^

Sun, Feb-11-18, 09:10

GRB5111

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Quote:

In a July 2017 announcement of new appointments to the USDA, Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue said that he had no doubt the corn syrup lobbyist “will help further our mission of feeding the world and making decisions in our nutrition programs that are science-based and data-driven” in her new role as USDA policy advisor.

Perfect, BS reply with all the buzz words we hear from so many who use "science" to justify bad policy. Not surprising, and to take partisan politics out of it, it's rampant on both sides of the aisle. A degree in PS (political science) is the equivalent today of an expert degree in BS.

#18 ^

Sun, Feb-11-18, 12:50

JEY100 JEY100 is online now

To Good Health!

Posts: 13,433

Plan: P:E/DDF
Stats: 225/150/169 Female 5' 9"

BF:45%/28%/25%
Progress: 134%

Location: NC

Though this article is political, the revolving door of Government/Lobbyists/Industry is a long-standing bi-partisan method of filling those jobs. It was there in 2015, but I don't remember hearing about a corn syrup and snack food lobbyist writing the final draft. As Nestle wrote, she didn't think it could get more political, but it has.

We complained about the last Advisory Committee, filled with many low-fat, high carb entrenched academics, but now Frank Hu from Harvard is looking good. The last committee did advise reduction of sugary soft drinks, sugar in snack foods and taking soda out of schools, but when the report got to the writing committees, that advice was buried. Marion Nestle, who was also on the last committee, and no low carber, did a review comparing what the Committee wrote, to the final copy after the USDA and HHS writers did some PR crafting on it.

https://www.foodpolitics.com/2016/0...t-hard-to-find/

So even if by some miracle the Scientific Committee finally allows one expert in low carb on the panel, when the final copy is written by a 28 year old corn syrup lobbyist with no nutrition science background, it will be little more than an industry PR campaign.