USDA Announces Leaders of Dietary Guidelines Committee

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that Barbara Schneeman, Ph.D., will chair the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and Ron Kleinman, M.D., will serve as vice chair. The advisory committee’s review, along with public and agency comments, will help inform the development of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The committee will hold a series of five public meetings to gather input and comments, starting with the first meetings this week in Washington, D.C. In addition, committee members will review and evaluate volumes of published scientific data and research to inform their recommendations.

USDA also announced that it is updating two department websites with information that will make it easier for the public to follow the committee’s work. The sites are nesr.usda.gov and www.DietaryGuidelines.gov. 

Barbara Schneeman, Ph.D.

Schneeman is a professor emerita at the University of California-Davis in the food science, technology and nutrition unit. She was a member of the faculty from 1976 until 2007 and also served as chair of the department of nutrition and dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. She also served for eight years as the director of the Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary Supplements in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration.

Ronald Kleinman, M.D.

Kleinman is chief of the department of pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital and physician-in-chief at MassGeneral Hospital for Children and Partners Pediatrics. He also is the Charles Wilder Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. He has served as the chief of gastroenterology and nutrition at MassGeneral since 1986.

IDFA Remains Engaged

The process for developing the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines began last year when USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services solicited public input on the research topics to be covered in the guidelines, including the role of dairy and other foods in a healthy diet. This was the first time that USDA and HHS had requested public input on initial research topics.

IDFA provided comments on the topics and, in consultation with members of the IDFA Nutrition Working Group, will continue to engage and provide comments to the advisory committee throughout the ongoing process.

Members interested in participating in the Nutrition Working Group may contact Michelle Matto, IDFA’s consultant on nutrition and labeling, at amfoodnutrition@gmail.com