"Widely Recognized, Largely Misunderstood": American Dietetic Association Urges USDA to Keep the Food Guide Pyramid, Update Its Content and Education Messages


CHICAGO – The iconic shape of the Food Guide Pyramid should be retained as the government’s primary graphical symbol of variety, proportion and moderation in making good nutritional choices, but the educational messages within and accompanying the Pyramid should be updated to improve consumer understanding, the American Dietetic Association said Thursday.
As it considers possible changes to the Pyramid as part of an ongoing revision process, the U.S. Department of Agriculture requested feedback on such issues as the proposed shape of the Pyramid and suggestions for increasing its effectiveness. The full text of ADA’s response can be read at http://www.eatright.org/.
"Although the Food Guide Pyramid is widely recognized, it is largely misunderstood," said registered dietitian and ADA President Susan H. Laramee. A nationally representative survey of consumers conducted in 2002 by ADA, the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, found the majority of people cannot correctly identify recommended serving sizes of most foods.
"With very few exceptions, consumers perceive serving sizes to be larger – and often considerably larger – than those recommended by the Food Guide Pyramid," Laramee said. "The focus of this revision process should be to improve consumer understanding and application of the underlying nutrition messages."
According to ADA’s recommendations, "The shape of the Pyramid should be maintained. It is not the shape but rather the content and accompanying education messages that require updating."
ADA believes the Food Guide Pyramid should not be a "stand-alone education tool." Revisions should "incorporate the graphic into a larger system of total diet education that includes core messages and strategies for implementation."
ADA’s response emphasizes "the importance of extensive consumer testing in order to develop effective education messages and strategies, coupled with making the results of consumer studies public."
ADA also recommends an increased government focus on health promoting strategies: "When people seek nutrition information, their most trusted sources are doctors, registered dietitians and other health-care professionals. Thus, working with professional associations such as ADA and having materials that are easily accessed and reproduced by practitioners will be critical to communicating the messages to consumers."
With nearly 70,000 members, the Chicago-based American Dietetic Association serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition and health. Visit ADA at http://www.eatright.org/.