Some 70 organizations offered input on the new Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s report during a meeting for public comments hosted by the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture last week.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) took exception to recommendations in the report that advise Americans to eat less meat.

NCBA Nutrition Scientist and Registered Dietitian Shalene McNeill, said the Advisory Committee’s recommendation to exclude lean meat from a healthy dietary pattern is a historic move that ignores decades of nutrition science and all previous editions of the Dietary Guidelines. “Advising people to cut back on their red meat intake has had harmful consequences,” said McNeill. “As red meat intake has declined, we are consuming more empty calories and obesity rates have steadily increased. History has shown us that sweeping recommendations often get lost in translation and exacerbate obesity and nutrient shortfalls.”

While the report overall is positive when it comes to consumption of dairy products, the National Milk Producers Federation testified at the meeting to stress the importance of dairy in the diet. “I would suggest that the Dietary Guidelines first continue to recommend three servings of dairy, and second, to recommend Americans increase their current consumption of dairy foods,” said Beth Briczinski, NMPF Vice President of Dairy Foods & Nutrition. “Most Americans would certainly benefit by adding one more serving of nutrient-dense dairy foods each day.”

HHS and USDA are reviewing all the scientific evidence with the recommendations before developing the final guidelines. The public comment period for the report is open until May 8, 2015.