Earlier this year, PCRM urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to replace the Food Pyramid with PCRM’s Power Plate. Today, the USDA unveiled its new MyPlate icon that recommends Americans fill half their plates with fruits and vegetables. But it’s at odds with agriculture subsidies that promote high-fat, high-calorie food products.
“The USDA’s new plate icon couldn’t be more at odds with federal food subsidies,” says PCRM staff nutritionist Kathryn Strong, M.S., R.D. “The plate icon advises Americans to limit high-fat products like meat and cheese, but the federal government is subsidizing these very products with billions of tax dollars and giving almost no support to fruits and vegetables. Congress has to reform the Farm Bill to support healthy diets.”
