ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how the federal government develops and uses dietary guidance. It reviews historical trends in chronic disease and nutrition, so that one can pay the most attention to the most important health concerns. The chapter considers several market failures that have been cited as motivation for a government role in dietary guidance. It explains the process of creating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and related consumer-oriented graphics; and compares current United States (US) consumption patterns to the Dietary Guidelines. The chapter explores several policy instruments that have been proposed to guide Americans toward healthier food choices. Major changes in food consumption, dietary quality and health from the 1970s to the 2010s provide the setting for contemporary debates about dietary guidance. Food choices have major consequences for the food economy and for public health. It is natural for the government to take great interest in the nutrition science basis for dietary guidance.
