Meat-Heavy US Nutrition Guidelines Will Require Millions Of Acres Of New Farmland

The new US nutrition guidelines could require millions of acres of land to be clear-cut and used to farm animals, negatively affecting the environment.

The guidelines emphasize high-impact animal products such as milk, meat, and eggs. Analysis indicates that if even a modest number of people follow the guidelines, it would require hundreds of millions of acres of new agricultural land.

The updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans were published in January.

They feature an inverted food pyramid that places animal products like red meat, eggs, milk, and poultry alongside vegetables and fruit. These animal products, in particular, are linked to environmental destruction, climate change, an unstable food system, and myriad health issues. They are also inefficient and resource-intensive.

As reported by the Guardian, the World Resources Institute (WRI) estimates that a 25 percent increase in animal protein consumption would require around 100 million acres – roughly the equivalent of California – of additional agricultural land per year.

This would also add hundreds of millions of tons of additional pollution to animal agriculture’s already colossal footprint. Between 1750 and 2020, farming animals for food caused 53 percent of global warming, compared to fossil fuels’ 19 percent.

New guidelines place ‘additional pressure’ on the planet

“We are seeing millions of acres of forest cut down, and agricultural expansion is the lead driver of that,” said Richard Waite, the director of agriculture initiatives at WRI. “Adding 100 million acres to that to feed the US means additional pressure on the world’s remaining ecosystems.”

The US has the third-largest population and the second-highest consumption of animal products per-capita in the world. Ninety percent of Americans don’t eat enough vegetables, but most eat more than 1.5 times the RDA of meat.

US nutrition guidelines, saturated fats, and American health

Photo shows a white plate loaded with bacon and eggs, with butter and a few tomatoes on the side — Adobe Stock Most Americans already eat too much animal protein and too few fruits and vegetables

The emphasis on animal products in the new nutrition guidelines conflicts with the almost unanimous messaging of scientists and health experts. Some advice, such as prioritizing beef tallow and butter over seed oils, has likely come directly from US health secretary and “MAHA” architect Robert F Kennedy Junior (RFK Jr).

In contrast to RFK Jr stance, most experts state that swapping saturated animal fats (such as tallow and butter) for unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (such as olive or walnut oil) reduces blood cholesterol and lowers heart disease risk. Overwhelming evidence suggests that people should eat less animal products and more plants in order to promote human health and a sustainable, equitable food system.

Also in January, US President Donald Trump signed a bill to bring whole dairy milk back into schools. The news came less than a month after the Senate unanimously voted to give school children better access to plant-based milk.