The US Produce Marketing Association (PMA) has urged the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee to maintain the high profile of fruit and vegetables as it works to revise the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for the 2010 edition, according to a PMA press release.
In testimony provided to the committee 29 January, PMA vice-president of Government Relations and Public Affairs Kathy Means noted that US consumers have a long way to go to reach even the current fruit and vegetable consumption guidelines.
“Fruits and vegetables are the power players in these recommendations,” Ms Means said. “They are key to making progress on so many other recommendations – reducing fat, salt, and added sugars, increasing potassium intake. They are also critical weapons in the battle against obesity and many chronic diseases.”
Ms Means stressed the importance of the guidelines, which offer consumer advice and also influence US federal feeding programs, as well as other government programs that offer dietary guidelines.
“The credibility of sound science and consistency of messages gives consumers confidence and reduces confusion,” she said. “Simple, actionable messages are essential.”
Ms Means also urged the group to stress consumption of whole foods, specifying that whole fruits and vegetables, rather than food supplements, “offer health benefits from synergy of each unique combination of nutrients and phytonutrients that we know about and those that we have yet to discover.”
She also stressed the importance of influencing children to eat more fruits and vegetables to encourage good eating habits that will last a lifetime, fight childhood obesity, and reduce long-term health care costs for the future.
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