Beef fights back on meat replacement plan

NCBA challenges shift from beef to plant proteins

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is speaking out against the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's latest recommendations, which advocate for a dietary shift from beef to plant-based proteins such as beans, peas, and lentils.

NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs, Ethan Lane, expressed strong disapproval of the committee's last-minute proposals, calling them "out-of-touch" and "elitist." He emphasized the impractical nature of these suggestions and their potential to mislead and harm consumer health.

The advisory committee's push comes at a time when data shows a decline in red meat consumption over decades, while plant-based calories already constitute a substantial portion of the American diet.

Dr. Shalene McNeill, NCBA Executive Director of Nutrition Science, pointed out the inconsistencies in the recommendations - “We’ve had more than four decades of Dietary Guidelines advice, and during that time red meat consumption has declined, yet obesity and chronic disease is on the rise.

70% of the calories in the U.S. diet are plant based. Now, the committee wants to reduce red meat intake even further, marginalizing the 80% of the population who identify themselves as meat eaters.”

NCBA argues that beef is a critical source of essential nutrients such as potassium, phosphorous, iron, B6, niacin, protein, zinc, choline, and B12, which are disproportionately beneficial for vulnerable groups including the elderly, adolescent girls, and women of child-bearing age.

The organization is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to consider these factors and develop dietary guidelines that reflect scientific evidence and real-world dietary habits, promoting a balanced and nutritionally adequate diet.