All Videos for USDA

Ractopamine in Pork

BREAKING NEWS video: An analysis of yesterday’s Consumer Reports finding that 1 in 5 samples of retail pork tested positive for the growth-promoting drug ractopamine. Tomorrow, I’ll cover their findings on Yersinia contamination.



Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

Death in America is largely a foodborne illness. Focusing on studies published just over the last year in peer-reviewed scientific medical journals, Dr. Greger offers practical advice on how best to feed ourselves and our families to prevent, treat, and even reverse many of the top 15 killers in the United States.



Unsafe at Any Feed

In a national survey, fewer than half of the participants realized meat contaminated with fecal food-poisoning bacteria, such as Salmonella, can still legally be sold. Rather than producing safe products, the meat industry shifts the responsibility for safety onto the consumer.



Kale and the Immune System

Comparing the immune system-boosting effect of cooked versus raw kale.



Bacon & Botulism

The nitrite preservatives in processed meats such as bologna, bacon, ham, and hot dogs form carcinogenic nitrosamines, but also reduce the growth of botulism bacteria—forcing regulators to strike a balance between consumers risking cancer, or a deadly form of food poisoning.



Anti Up on the Veggies

Greens rank highest in chemical antioxidant assays (such as ORAC, TEAC, TRAP, and FRAP). But which vegetables lead the pack when cellular antioxidant activity is measured?



Dietary Guidelines: Progressing from Pyramid to Plate

MyPlate represents a significant improvement over the USDA Food Guide Pyramid.



New Dietary Guidelines for Americans

Following the recommendations of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee to “shift food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet,” the latest USDA guidelines include a vegan adaptation.



Dietary Guidelines: Advisory Committee Conflicts of Interest

The USDA Dietary Guidelines Committee has been made of up individuals funded by McDonald’s, Coca Cola, the Sugar Association, the American Meat Institute, candy bar companies, and the egg and dairy boards.



Dietary Guidelines: Science vs. Corporate Interests

The USDA Dietary Guidelines Committee stands accused of ignoring the science to justify its recommendation to eat meat.



Dietary Guidelines: It’s All Greek to the USDA

Unlike the United States, where the agriculture department is the lead agency on formulating dietary recommendations, other countries such as Greece rely on their health department. What do their dietary guidelines look like?



Dietary Guidelines: From Dairies to Berries

The success story in Finland shows that science-based dietary guidelines can save millions of lives.



Dietary Guidelines: The First 25 Years

How have the Dietary Guidelines for Americans evolved over the years since they were first issued in 1980?



Dietary Guidelines: Just Say No

What happens when the twin mandates of the USDA—to both promote agribusiness, and protect our nation’s health—come into conflict?



Dietary Guidelines: USDA Conflicts of Interest

The mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is to promote agribusiness. At the same time, the USDA is the agency primarily tasked with developing the nutrition guidelines.



Dietary Guidelines: With a Grain of Big Salt

The National Dairy Council teams up with the Salt Institute to downplay the risk of sodium in the American diet.



Dietary Guidelines: Corporate Guidance

Nearly 2,000 comments were submitted to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Watch what the Sugar Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and the chewing gum company, Wrigley’s, had to say.



Nation’s Diet in Crisis

Survey reveals the vast majority of Americans are not eating healthy, even by U.S. Dietary Guideline standards.



Calculate Your Healthy Eating Score

Rate your diet on a scale of 0 to 100 using the phytochemical index, and compare your score to the Standard American Diet.



Antioxidant Content of 3,139 Foods

In the most extensive study of its kind ever published, the amount of anti-aging anticancer antioxidants is measured across thousands of different foods.



Mothers Overestimate Dietary Quality

Mothers have been found to dramatically overestimate the quality of their preschoolers’ diets.



What’s in a Burger?

Cleveland Clinic pathologists dissect fast food burgers to see what’s inside.



Drug Residues in Meat

The U.S. Inspector General cites the USDA for failing to safeguard the meat supply from drug residues.



Fecal Contamination of Sushi

The proportion of sushi that exceeds the national food standards guidelines for fecal bacteria levels.