| Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion |
| Executive Director: |
Brian Wansink, Ph.D.
|
The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture created on December 1, 1994, and is the focal point within the USDA where scientific research is linked with the nutritional needs of the American public.
The creation of the Center came at a time when the American public was becoming increasingly aware of the importance of diet, yet was receiving conflicting nutrition messages. The Center, therefore, serves as a touchstone where the public is assured that the nutrition guidance they receive is based on sound research and analysis.
The Center reports to the Office of the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. The staff of the Center is composed primarily of nutritionists, nutrition scientists, dietitians, economists, and policy experts, all of whom were chosen for their expertise. On November 19, 2007, Dr. Brian Wansink was named Executive Director of the Center. The Deputy Director is Dr. Robert C. Post.
CNPP carries out its mission by (1) advancing and promoting food and nutrition guidance for all Americans; (2) assessing diet quality; and (3) advancing consumer, nutrition, and food economic knowledge.
Major projects administered by CNPP are:
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
MyPyramid Food Guidance System
Healthy Eating Index
U.S. Food Plans
Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food Supply
Expenditures on Children by Families
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
The Center serves as the administrative agency within U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the issuance of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are the cornerstone of Federal nutrition policy and nutrition education activities. The Guidelines are jointly issued and updated every 5 years by USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The Dietary Guidelines provide authoritative advice for people 2 years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases.
MyPyramid
The MyPyramid Food Guidance System translates nutritional recommendations into the kinds and amounts of food to eat each day. MyPyramid was released in April 2005 and replaces the Food Guide Pyramid (1992). The MyPyramid.gov website provides information and personalized interactive tools for consumers. MyPyramid is also available in Spanish at MiPirαmide.gov.
Healthy Eating Index
The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is a measure of diet quality that assesses conformance to federal dietary guidance. The original HEI was created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1995. The HEI was revised in 2006 to reflect the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A fact sheet and a technical report describing development and evaluation of the HEI-2005 can be accessed. You can also find out more information on HEI on MyPyramid.gov here.
U.S. Food Plans
CNPP also maintains and updates the Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans. Each food plan represents a nutritious diet at a different cost. The Thrifty Food Plan serves as the nutritional basis for determination of Food Stamp Program benefits.
Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food Supply
The Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food Supply is a historical data series, beginning in 1909, on the amounts of nutrients per capita per day in food available for consumption. An interactive version of this series allows users to query nutrient and pyramid servings information online.
Expenditures on Children by Families
Expenditures on Children by Families provides estimates of the cost of raising children from birth through age 17 for major budgetary components.
There has been some controversy regarding the Center's impartiality due to its being a part of the USDA.[citation needed] The oversight of the Dietary Guidelines is controlled jointly by CNPP (a center within the USDA) and Health and Human Services. Every five years, the Departments charter a committee of 13 nutrition experts to review the peer-reviewed, published science on diet and health and develop a report of its recommendations for the next edition of the Guidelines.
Executive Directors of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion[1]
References
- ^ "Former Executive Directors". United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
External links
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