jan 5, 1977 - Dietary Goals for the United States also known as the "McGovern Report"

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The first and second publications of the Dietary Goals for the United States were published in 1977 suggesting that Americans eat less fat, less cholesterol, less refined and processed sugars, and more complex carbohydrates and fiber. (Source 1)

"In 1977, enough consensus existed among epidemiologists that the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Need used the diet–heart association to perform an extraordinary act: advocate dietary goals for a healthier diet. During its hearings, the meat industry tested that consensus. In one year, the committee produced two editions of its Dietary Goals for the United States, the second containing a conciliatory statement about coronary heart disease and meat consumption. Critics have characterized the revision as a surrender to special interests. But the senators faced issues for which they were professionally unprepared: conflicts within science over the interpretation of data and notions of proof. Ultimately, it was lack of scientific consensus on these factors, not simply political acquiescence, that allowed special interests to secure changes in the guidelines." 2

The McGovern report is the first publication to use the term 'complex carbohydrate', denoting "fruit, vegetables and whole-grains". 3

Sources:
1. G. McGovern, Statement of Senator George McGovern on the Publication of Dietary Goals for the United States, Press Conference, Friday, February 14, 1977, in United States Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, Dietary Goals for the United States (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, February 1977), 1.
2. Oppenheimer GM, Benrubi ID. McGovern's Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs versus the meat industry on the diet-heart question (1976-1977). Am J Public Health. 2014;104(1):59-69. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301464
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Select_Committee_on_Nutrition_and_Human_Needs

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