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New Dietary Guidelines Don't Include Expert Recommendations for Sugar, Alcohol

Specialty Food Association

The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued by the USDA and HHS, do not include experts' recommendations to lower the suggested amount of sugar and alcohol consumed in one day, reports USA Today. The five year guidelines retain earlier recommendations to limit added sugar intake to less than 10 percent of calories a day and limit daily alcohol intake to two drinks or less for men and one or less for women. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, a group of 20 scientists, recommended that sugar intake be less than 6 percent of calories and that one alcoholic beverage consumption be limited to one per day for men and women.

The federal government rejected the committee’s recommendations, saying in a statement that "there was not a preponderance of evidence in the material the committee reviewed to support specific changes, as required by law." However, the department also said the committee’s report "supports the need to continue to limit intakes of added sugars and alcoholic beverages to promote health and prevent disease." Full Story

Related: Regulatory Movement Amid the PandemicRegulatory Concerns Top of Mind for 2021.

Image: USDA

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