USDA “Beefing” Up Special Interest Marketing Funds

Red meat production and sales have declined as the public has become increasingly aware of the link between meat consumption and chronic disease. For consumer health, this is progress. However, the USDA is now proposing a new “checkoff” program to allocate additional funds—potentially totaling $160 million—towards the promotion and marketing of beef in 2015. And since the USDA also issues national dietary recommendations, this creates a clear conflict of interest. Beef is bad for your health. Physicians, researchers, and medical organizations clearly state the consequences of eating red meat. Harvard University has published numerous studies associating meat consumption with chronic disease. The World Health Organization notes the correlation between meat and colorectal and prostate cancers in its dietary recommendations. The American Heart Association published findings saying that women who had two servings per day of red meat had a 30 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease. Physicians Committee researchers found that eating meat is a risk factor for diabetes.  The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends reducing and removing red and processed meat, as does the American Cancer Society. Even government officials in the United Kingdom have been clear in their recommendations to British citizens to cut red meat consumption. However, the USDA has remained ambiguous when discussing red meat. In the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, the USDA recommended reducing saturated fat and cholesterol intake—neglecting to mention that a sirloin steak overloads your arteries with 155 percent of your daily maximum intake of saturated fat and 152 percent of your daily maximum cholesterol. The USDA is accepting public comments on the proposed checkoff program until Dec. 10. Click here to take action by submitting your comments to the USDA. Want to know more about the research? Check out this sample of studies from just the past two years linking red meat and chronic disease:

• Red and Processed Meats Increase Risk of Bladder Cancer
• Red Meat in Childhood Increases Risk for Breast Cancer
• Breast Cancer Linked to Eating Red Meat
• Iron in Meat Linked to Heart Disease
• Even Modest Amounts of Meat Increase Risk for Diabetes
• Meat-Eating is a Risk Factor for Developing Diabetes
• Red and Processed Meat Endangers Health
• Many Ways Meat Causes Colon Cancer
• Red and Processed Meat Products Linked to Mortality
• Cutting Out Meat Boosts Heart Attack Victims’ Chance of Survival
• Red and Processed Meat Linked to Death for Colorectal Cancer Patients
• Researchers Discover New Way Meat Causes Heart Disease
• More Evidence That Red and Processed Meats Are Deadly