MyPlate US consumption tool

US agriculture deputy secretary Kathleen Merrigan joined local officials, educators, and students this week to highlight the first anniversary of the MyPlate food icon, announcing a month of nutrition events and promotions to mark the occasion.

In June 2011, First Lady Michelle Obama and agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack first unveiled MyPlate, the federal government's primary food group symbol, to serve as a reminder to help consumers make healthy food choices consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The MyPlate icon shows a plate with the five food groups on a placemat that is suggestive of proportions, with the aim of 'making half your plate fruits and vegetables'.

'A year ago First Lady Michelle Obama and I joined together to launch MyPlate and to encourage people to think about their food choices in order to lead healthier lifestyles,' said Merrigan. 'Today we celebrate the great strides we are making from our local schools to the dinner table as Americans embrace MyPlate and find practical ways to apply it to their daily lives.'

Since the launch 12 months ago, the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) now estimates that some 90 per cent of nutrition professionals are familiar with MyPlate and are using the resources and messages that support MyPlate in client counselling. There have been over 7m downloads of MyPlate graphics and other materials, while CNPP and the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) have distributed educational tools to those who have requested materials including schools, churches and youth groups, gym and fitness centres, clubs, and others.

Currently, over 6,000 community partners have joined along with 90 National Strategic Partners all committed to promoting the recommendations found in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). In the first quarter of this year, there were 34m page views at the ChooseMyPlate.gov website and over 700,000 registered users of the MyPlate SuperTracker, the web based tool to gauge one's diet and physical activity.

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