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1943 – The USDA introduces the “Basic 7″ food guide, aimed at maintaining nutrition standards during the wartime period of food rationing. 1955 – HSPH researchers condense the Basic 7 food groups into a Basic Four, which the USDA subsequently adopts.
A Visual History of Food Guides. 1943 > The USDA introduces the “Basic 7” food guide, aimed at maintaining nutrition standards during the wartime period of food rationing. < 1955 HSPH researchers condense the Basic 7 food groups into a Basic Four, which the USDA subsequently adopts.
The historical objective of food guides has been to translate dietary standards and recommendations into simple nutrition education tools that are useful to consumers.
The history of USDA nutrition guidelines includes over 100 years of nutrition advice promulgated by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). The guidelines have been updated over time, to adopt new scientific findings and new public health marketing techniques. The current guidelines are the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025.
Harvard School of Public Health’s Department of Nutrition, founded in 1942, has had unparalleled influence on how we eat, including the United States’ Department of Agriculture’s food guides. Click to view a larger PDF version of this graphic.
The first published dietary guidance by the USDA was a Farmers Bulletin written in 1894 by W.O. Atwater, the first director of the Office of Experiment Stations in USDA. He suggested diets for American males based on content of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and mineral mat-ter (ash) (Atwater, 1894).
A Brief History of the USDA Food Guides. 1916 to 1930s: “Food for Young Children” and “How to Select Food” . Established guidance based on food groups and household measures . Focused on “protective foods” . 1940s: A Guide to Good Eating (Basic Seven) . Foundation diet for nutrient adequacy .
