The United States government is telling its citizens to eat more pulses.
Contained in the 2005 version of the federal government’s dietary guidelines is a suggestion that the average person should be eating three cups of legumes a week.
“This is the first time that they’ve talked specifically of legumes,” said Stacey Zawel, executive director of the Beans for Health Alliance.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, a joint publication of the federal health and agriculture departments, is updated every five years.
Legumes have been mentioned in previous editions of the guide but there was never any direct advice on how much of the commodity to consume. So the U.S. pulse industry considers this a coup, especially the dry bean sector, which was singled out in brackets behind the word legumes.
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“They are actually saying out loud to eat more beans,” Zawel said.
Three cups represents more than a three-fold increase over current weekly consumption rates.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans ate 967,727 tonnes of pulses in 2003, which represents an average intake of 3.3 kilograms per person.
Tripling that volume would be a huge boon for the dry bean sector because that commodity accounts for 92 percent of total pulse consumption.
Zawel acknowledged getting every citizen to adhere to the dietary guidelines is wishful thinking but the new recommendation could nudge domestic pulse consumption forward.
Industry groups like the Beans for Health Alliance and the American Dry Bean Board are already incorporating the new recommendations into promotional material.
But the real momentum is expected to build once companies like Bush Brothers and Campbell’s start advertising the message on products such as baked beans.
“Those guys are the experts at communicating directly with consumers,” said Zawel.
On the heels of the new 2005 dietary guidelines, the bean industry gained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use a dietary guidance message, which tells consumers that eating beans may reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers.
Studies have demonstrated that the folates found in beans protect people against heart disease by breaking down an amino acid called homocysteine.
The B vitamin may also reduce the risk of several types of cancer because it plays an important role in healthy cell division and is crucial to repairing damaged cells.
Zawel said the fact that the federal government has endorsed both the guidelines and the guidance message adds serious clout to the industry’s promotional efforts.
“It always helps to have the government on your side.”
She hopes the Canadian government will take a similar approach when revamping Canada’s Food Guide, which has been under review since January 2004.
The new guide is expected to be in effect by spring 2006.
