United States Dietary Guidelines Records

Collection

Identifier: MS0369

Staff Only

Content Description

The United States Dietary Guidelines Records contain correspondence, memoranda, reports, notes, drafts, publications, articles, posters, and audiotapes. There are also committee papers, including materials from the U.S Senate Agriculture Committee and the Senate Nutrition Subcommittee. Additional materials include publications from the Nutrition Subcommittee, along with dietary goals and guidelines documents.

Dates

Creation: 1977-1997

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Organizational History

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) collaborated to write dietary guidelines for Americans, resulting in the 1980 document titled "Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans." This was the first time the U.S. government formally provided nutritional guidelines to the public. After the guidelines were published, controversy arose among several professional, industry, and Congressional groups over the appropriate role of the federal government in nutrition guidance. The USDA and the HHS convened a committee to review the guidelines and update them in light of any new and pertinent scientific evidence.