FDA scraps food pyramid for food plate

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMay 29 2011

The Obama government is all set to ignore the food pyramid, that symbol of healthy eating for the last two decades. In its place officials are dishing up a simple, plate-shaped symbol, sliced into wedges for the basic food groups and half-filled with fruits and vegetables.

This new plate will be revealed Thursday and is meant to give consumers a fast, easily grasped reminder of the basics of a healthy diet. It consists of four colored sections, for fruits, vegetables, grains and protein, according to several people who have been briefed on the change. Beside the plate is a smaller circle for dairy, suggesting a glass of low-fat milk or perhaps a yogurt cup.

The pyramid is worldwide instantly recognized by school kids, parents and consumers and was criticized by nutritionists as too confusing and deeply flawed because it did not distinguish clearly between healthy foods like whole grains and fish and less healthy choices like white bread and bacon. A version of the pyramid currently appearing on cereal boxes, frozen dinners and other foods has been so streamlined and stripped of information that many people have no idea what it represents.

The original Food Pyramid was published in Denmark back in 1978 and was then utilized by the USDA starting in the year 1992. A revised pyramid was released in 2005. Called MyPyramid, it turned the old hierarchy on its side, with vertical brightly colored strips standing in for the different food groups. It also showed a stick figure running up the side to emphasize the need for exercise.

Walter C. Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health said, “It’s going to be hard not to do better than the current pyramid, which basically conveys no useful information.” Dr. Willett said he had not seen the new logo.

“We need to get consumers’ attention,” said Robert C. Post, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. He would not discuss details of the icon in advance of the official unveiling. But he said it was meant to be a “visual cue” that would prompt “consumers to say, ‘I need to be a little more concerned about what I choose to build a healthy day’s diet.’ ”

For many who have already seen the logo, it appears like a pie chart. Others likened it to a pizza cut into slices. Dr. David Kessler, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said if people chose to eat healthy after seeing this, the exercise would be worth it. He said, “The reality is that very few of us eat like what has been suggested…There’s a world of difference between what’s being served and what’s on that plate.” He called the plate a major improvement over the pyramid. “It conveys the message simply in a way that we all can understand,” he said. The plate symbol is meant to help educate consumers about the government’s latest dietary guidelines, which were released in January he added.

According to Dr. Post the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had spent about $2 million to develop and promote the logo, including conducting research and focus groups and creating a Web site. Some of that money will also be used for the first year of a campaign to publicize the image.