Chapter 2: Politics versus Science, Opposing the Food Pyramid, 1991-1992

What a process! The National Cattlemen's Association felt threatened by the presentation of the Food Pyramid with their "products" so near the fats/oils/sugars, which were far from recommended in the dietary guidelines. The controversy over the Food Pyramid graphic resulted in the USDA spending $855,000 on research and development to establish the final presentation: another food guide pyramid. I think it would have been intriguing to know the decline in sales for the meat industry if the original pyramid had been published and publicized. It is hard for me to believe the time, effort, and finances invested in removing the original from the publication and performing extensive research to develop the "best product" was well worth the effort.