The Trump Administration's New Food Guide: A Climate Concern?

The Trump administration has recently introduced a new food guide. It suggests that Americans should eat more protein. The guide shows a colorful, upside-down pyramid. At the top, there is a big red steak, a piece of cheese, and a carton of whole milk. The administration says this is "ending the war on protein. " This is a big change from past advice. Before, people were told to eat less red meat and whole milk. This was for health reasons. It also helps reduce pollution from beef and dairy industries. The US stopped using the food pyramid as an official guide in 2011. Many Americans do not follow federal nutritional recommendations. But if people start following this new guide, it could cause more pollution. This pollution makes climate change worse. The guide suggests eating 1. 2 to 1. 6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Americans already eat about 1. 0 to 1. 3 grams per day. If they eat more protein, it could require up to 100 million acres of extra farmland each year. This is about the size of California. The climate impact could be like adding hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions.The environmental impact of protein depends on the source. Cows and other similar animals are a bigger concern than chicken or plant-based proteins. Meat production needs more land for raising animals and growing their feed. Cows also release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. However, there are some nuances. Americans have been eating more chicken recently. Beef consumption has been stable over the past decade. The Trump administration is also rolling back greenhouse gas pollution regulations. They call efforts to address climate change a "green scam. " Some scientists and advocates say the Trump administration ignored a previous scientific panel's recommendations. An uncompromised version of the new guidelines would have advised eating more beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy products. It would have also advised eating less red and processed meat. The guidelines are updated every five years. The Trump administration rejected more than half of the recommendations from the federal Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) for 2024. Several panelists involved in crafting this year's guidelines have financial ties to the beef and dairy industries.