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ACTUALITIES – First Lady, Agriculture Secretary and Surgeon General Unveil New MyPlate Icon For Healthier Food Choices
The new MyPlate icon to help consumers make healthier food choices was introduced at USDA Headquarters. (June 2, 2011)
1. USDA Unveils New Food Icon
URL: http://mfile3.akamai.com/23747/wmv/ocbmtcmedia.download.akamai.com/23747//DA/060211oc.asx
2. Press Conference
URL: http://mfile3.akamai.com/23747/wmv/ocbmtcmedia.download.akamai.com/23747//DA/060211o2.asx
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ACTUALITIES – Federal Government Unveils New MyPlate Icon For Healthier Food Choices
INFO: First Lady Michelle Obama, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Surgeon General Regina Benjamin helped launch the new MyPlate icon to help consumers make healthier food choices. The event took place at USDA Headquarters. (June 2, 2011)
1-First Lady Michelle Obama said MyPlate is easy to understand. (:41)
We realized that we needed something that made sense not just in classrooms or laboratories, but at dinner tables and school cafeterias. We needed something useful, something simple. And that’s why I like the MyPlate approach so much, because when it comes to eating, what’s more useful than a plate? What’s more simple than a plate? This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we’re eating. And as a mom, I can already tell you how much this is going to help parents all across the country.
2- First Lady Michelle Obama said MyPlate will be easy for children to understand. (:13)
And this isn’t just useful for parents. MyPlate is a simple tool that's simple enough for children to understand, even at the elementary school level.
3- First Lady Michelle Obama said MyPlate is one tool in the effort to combat obesity. (:41)
But I also know that the new icon isn’t going to end our epidemic of childhood obesity on its own. This is an important start, but it’s not the only thing that we need to be doing. It can’t ensure that our communities have access to affordable fruits and vegetables. That's still work we need to do. It won’t spur kids to get up and get active for an hour a day. That is still work we need to do. And it’s certainly not going to take the responsibility off of us as parents to make sure that we’re making the right choices for our families. That's still on us.
4- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said MyPlate conveys a simple message. (:15)
What we are excited to show you today is a simple, visual research based icon that sends a very clear and unmistakable message about proportion sizes and what should be on the American plate.
5- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said MyPlate is easier to understand than MyPyramid. (:26)
For many years we’ve used the MyPyramid as the symbol to educate folks as to how they might be able to make better choices for their family. The reality is that that’s a pretty complex symbol. It’s one that is oftentimes difficult to remember. It contains a lot of important and good information, but it simply too complex to serve as a quick and easy guide for busy American families.
6-Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin says Americans need good information to make healthy choices. (:19)
One of the most important things we can do when it comes to the nation’s health is to provide clear and simple information based on the latest science and research so that the American people can make their own decisions and their own choices about what is best for them and for their families.
7- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said at post-event press conference that the protein portion of MyPlate could be filled by a variety of foods. (:20)
Protein obviously is meat, and I expect on many, many plates around the country you’re going to see a hamburger there, you’re going to see a steak there, you’re going to see a chicken breast there, you’re going to see a pork chop. But you may also see fish. You may also see, for vegetarians, also see other protein sources.
8- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said at post-event press conference that MyPlate is proportional. (:16)
It’s designed to convey the proportion size. If you want a healthy plate half of it has got to be fruits and vegetables. The grains, we hope that half of them are whole grains. And so it’s basically a proportion size.
9-Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said at post-event press conference that the MyPlate website has useful tools for healthy eating. (:24)
We have a number of tools that are available at choose my plate dot gov that will continue to be available that help you determine what that number of calories ought to be based on your activity level. If you are very active you obviously have a little more leeway. If you are less active you have less leeway. But there are tools, there are going to be continue to be tools, how-to’s, messages that will be available on choose my plate dot gov.
