From staff reports Dr. Shalene McNeill, Executive Director of Nutrition Research at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, recently examined dietary guidelines for 2025.
The “USDA and Health and Human Services are now developing the 10th edition of our Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” McNeill said.
Published every five years, the first edition was released in 1980, she said.
McNeill added that these guidelines are formed through a process involving public meetings and a scientific advisory committee who prepares the report. She noted that the process is near halfway finished, adding that NCBA has provided commentary on the value of beef in a healthy diet.
“We expect that the committee work will wrap up at the end of 2024, and we will see that 10th edition of the dietary guidelines out at the beginning of 2025,” McNeill said.
McNeill stated that current dietary guidelines maintain that beef is part of a healthy diet, and that there are many reasons to include it. “There is certainly a lot of research to support the role that beef plays in healthy diets, so that is something we are watching,” she said.
Underscoring the nutritional value of beef, McNeill added that it ensures nutritional needs like iron, zinc and B vitamins are met. “
“This committee is very focused on looking at ways that they might be able to model and add more plant proteins in at the expense of meat,” she said. “That is concerning because we know that when you add more plant proteins in, you have to eat more calories. You get fewer nutrients like iron and zinc, and you might make problems worse with the American diet.”