The new food plate

So long, food pyramid

By Culinate staff

June 6, 2011

At the start of June, the USDA ditched its long-running and much-maligned food pyramid in favor of an easier-to-understand plate design. Titled Choose My Plate, the setup is basically a pie chart, with bigger slices allotted to vegetables and grains than to fruit and protein. There’s also a circle to indicate a glass of dairy.

Consumer response so far has been largely positive: yes, the plate design is obvious, but good sense is a virtue. Half of the plate, after all, is fruit and veg, and the USDA frequently reminds site visitors to “enjoy your food, but eat less.”

The USDA also has a number of helpful extra links, including a collection of tips and a daily food plan. Not all of the links work, but hey, it’s early days yet.