ARLINGTON, VA –The Meat Institute today said the “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy” offers sweeping reforms establishing the importance of food and nutrition in the health of the nation’s children and is a good first step towards recognizing the nutritional value of meat and poultry after years of misguided policies attacking meat consumption.

“Science has shown what American parents have known all along: nutrient dense meat and poultry products are essential to a well-balanced diet,” said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “For years previous administrations have tried to discourage consumption of meat, primarily for reasons unrelated to nutrition, and as a result our most vulnerable populations-- children, adolescent girls, nursing mothers and seniors – no longer consume enough protein and critical nutrients like iron and zinc.

“The bold leadership of Secretary Kennedy and Secretary Rollins will finally give Americans not only permission, but the encouragement to eat meat because it is a good, accessible source of nutrition for their families.”

The Meat Institute, which includes meat packer and processor members of all sizes, large and small, were especially pleased to see the Strategy seeks to support adoption of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety protocols.

“It is great to see the coordination between Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on food safety,” said Potts. “The support for HACCP in the Strategy is in addition to the significant food safety investment made by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins in July. We are so glad the Trump Administration continues to encourage greater adoption of this successful science-based program to enable the industry to better protect consumers .”

The Strategy includes:

• Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs): USDA and HHS will launch an education campaign based on the updated DGAs. The campaign will expand upon a DGA that prioritizes whole foods including protein foods, fruits, and vegetables, minimizes highly processed foods, and added sugar, and brings awareness to strategies to improve health. 
• "Healthy Foods and Healthy Families": Empower families with practical knowledge, including food preparation methods, to make healthy choices regardless of budget or location. 
• Food for Health: HHS, VA, and USDA will study the impact of programs that implement food and lifestyle interventions to improve health outcomes and decrease costs. The NIH Office of Nutrition will coordinate research initiatives to improve rigorous studies and maximize impact, including through large-scale randomized control trials. 
• Nutrition: NIH will partner with FDA, USDA, and AHA to conduct high-quality nutrition research and ingredient assessments. NIH and HHS will take steps to fully utilize the newly created FDA and NIH Joint Nutrition Regulatory Science Program. USDA will prioritize precision nutrition research, which identifies how dietary exposures impact individuals, leading to more targeted nutritional recommendations. HHS will add questions to the National Survey of Children's Health that focus on nutrition. 
• "Food for Health": Emphasize how proper nutrition prevents and can help reverse chronic diseases and maintain general health.

About the Meat Institute

The Meat Institute represents the full community of people and companies who make the majority of meat American families rely on every day. The Meat Institute’s hands-on regulatory and technical expertise, proactive advocacy, unique convening power, collaboration within and beyond animal agriculture, and sector-leading continuous improvement initiatives drive relationships and resources that ensure meat continues to be a vital, trusted pillar of healthy diets and thriving communities for generations to come. To learn more, visit: MeatInstitute.org.