"More than a decade after Agriculture Department officials ditched the pyramid, few Americans have heard of MyPlate, a dinner plate-shaped logo that emphasizes fruits and vegetables," the Associated Press reported last week.
The study authors surveyed more than 9,000 Americans over 16, asking them if they had heard of MyPlate and, if so, whether they had ever used it. Overwhelmingly, the study found they had not. According to the data, only one in four American adults has ever heard of MyPlate; fewer than one in eight Americans "had tried to follow" MyPlate's dietary recommendations—including, in the latter case, fewer than 1 in 25 men.
...Other MyPlate hype was less measured. It brings kids "joy"! The elderly love it!
Not exactly—and also not exactly surprising. In 2005, shortly after USDA modified its Food Pyramid, a California olive oil trade group conducted a survey similar to that released by the CDC last week. The purpose of the olive oil survey was "to gauge what consumers, nutritionists, and foodservice professionals knew about the new guidelines, and whether or not they intended to change dietary or exercise habits based on this new knowledge." Lo and behold, that survey found 3 out of 4 Americans "believe their understanding of what the revised Food Pyramid means is less than 'good'" (read: bad) and also found roughly 2 of 3 "respondents said they had made no changes in their diet in response to the guidelines."
Whether MyPlate or the Food Pyramid or any other federal intervention in Americans' dietary choices, the results have always been disastrous...
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