PCRM Wins Food Pyramid Lawsuit

October 27, 2000

From Veganstreet news

Judge James Robertson issued a ruling, Saturday, September 30 that the United

States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had violated parts of the Freedom of

Information Act when it withheld information on the 140 experts who were

considered for the 11-person committee that puts together dietary guidelines

upon which the national food-guide pyramid is based. They also were charged with

not fully disclosing information about one committee member's paid service on a

corporate editorial board.

" It's a major victory for us and huge embarrassment for the USDA, " said Neal

Barnard, executive director of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

(PCRM), a nonprofit health advocacy group that filed the suit against USDA and

the Department of Health and Human Services.

This lawsuit was filed in December, 1999, charging that the food-guide pyramid

was racially biased because it recommends dairy products, even for those racial

groups known to have a limited ability to digest lactose, such as

African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians. Also part of the lawsuit was the

allegation that committee members had ties to the meat, dairy and egg industries

that could affect their judgment. The suit sought the disclosure of information

on committee members and those nominated to the panel. Government lawyers

countered that the information on nominees was private information.

Judge Robertson ruled that the USDA must provide the curricula vitae - a summery

of one's personal history and job qualifications - of the 140 experts who were

nominated to serve; PCRM then will attempt to show that more qualified people

were not chosen for the dietary guidelines committee.

" I'm disappointed with the ruling, " said Agriculture Deputy Undersecretary

Kennedy.

The dietary guidelines, which are updated every five years, dictates everything

from school lunch programs and the food pyramid to food programs for the

impoverished.

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