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Create a Vegan-Friendly Food Pyramid
  1. Signatures
    3,295 out of 5,000
    Petitioning
    1. Secretary of Agriculture (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Secretary of Agriculture (Tom Vilsack)
      • Director of Public Affairs, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (John Webster)
  2. Created By
    Change.org
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
How We Won

Jan 31, 2011

Last year, health agencies started joining the call for reducing the intake of animal-based foods. As the USDA began revising the dietary guidelines, which inform the food pyramid and other nutrition tools, more than 3,200 Change.org members submitted comments asking for plant-based alternatives. The newly released guidelines include two pages dedicated to vegetarian and vegan diets, which is more attention than any previous version has paid to animal-friendly diets.

USDA is working on a revision of the food pyramid, which is used as a guideline for how people should ideally eat and to educate people about nutrition. However, it continues to emphasize meat and dairy products without providing alternatives for those who choose a plant-based diet for health or ethical reasons.

In a recent report, the USDA itself called for a shift toward a more plant-based diet, however, the well-publicized food pyramid continues to pander to the interests of animal agriculture.

Urge the USDA to incorporate a list of healthy alternatives to animal-based foods in their 2010 food pyramid.

Photo credit: adactio

Recent Signatures

Please Add Plant-Based Alternatives to the Food Pyramid

Greetings,

I recently read on Change.org that the USDA is revising the food pyramid. Despite USDA reports calling for a shift to a more plant-based diet, I understand that the draft of the new food pyramid continues to emphasize meat, poultry, dairy and eggs.

More and more Americans are moving away from animal products toward plant-based diets for health and ethical reasons. Studies have linked veganism and vegetarianism to the prevention of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity. The USDA is just one of many organizations that has started to recommend a shift toward a plant-based diet and the American Dietetic Association has stated that plant-based diets are healthy at all life stages.

The food pyramid is an important tool for nutrition education and healthy eating, and it should reflect the latest dietary information. A list of healthy alternatives to animal-based foods could go a long way toward helping Americans make the transition to a healthy plant-based diet.

Thank you.

[Your name]

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