The National Academies of Sciences,Engineering,and Medicine (NASEM),also known as the National Academies,is a congressionally chartered organization that serves as the collective scientific national academy of the United States. The name is used interchangeably in two senses:(1) as an umbrella term or parent organization for its three sub-divisions that operate as quasi-independent honorific learned society member organizations known as the National Academy of Sciences (NAS),the National Academy of Engineering (NAE),and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM);and (2) as the brand for studies and reports issued by the unified operating arm of the three academies originally known as the National Research Council (NRC). The National Academies also serve as public policy advisors,research institutes,think tanks,and public administration consultants on issues of public importance or on request by the government.
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research,Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with extending the nation's scientific knowledge and solving agricultural problems through its four national program areas:nutrition,food safety and quality;animal production and protection;natural resources and sustainable agricultural systems;and crop production and protection. ARS research focuses on solving problems affecting Americans every day. The ARS Headquarters is located in the Jamie L. Whitten Building on Independence Avenue in Washington,D.C.,and the headquarters staff is located at the George Washington Carver Center (GWCC) in Beltsville,Maryland. For 2018,its budget was $1.2 billion.
Ann Margaret Veneman is an American attorney who served as the fifth executive director of UNICEF from 2005 to 2010. She previously served as the 27th United States secretary of agriculture from 2001 to 2005. Veneman served for the entire first term of President George W. Bush,and she left to take the UNICEF position. Appointed by the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on January 18,2005,she took over the post on May 1,2005. A lawyer,Veneman has practiced law in Washington,DC and California,including being a deputy public defender. She has also served in other high-level positions in both the state and the federal government of the United States,including being appointed secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture,serving from 1995 to 1999,as well as United States deputy secretary of agriculture,serving from 1991 to 1993. Throughout her public career,Veneman was the first woman to serve in a number of positions,including secretary of agriculture,deputy secretary of agriculture,and California's secretary of food and agriculture. She was also just the second woman to lead UNICEF,following her predecessor,Carol Bellamy.
The minister of health is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing health-focused government agencies including Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada,as well as enforcing the Canada Health Act,the law governing Canada's universal health care system.
The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) is a system of nutrition recommendations from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) of the National Academies. It was introduced in 1997 in order to broaden the existing guidelines known as Recommended Dietary Allowances. The DRI values differ from those used in nutrition labeling on food and dietary supplement products in the U.S. and Canada,which uses Reference Daily Intakes (RDIs) and Daily Values (%DV) which were based on outdated RDAs from 1968 but were updated as of 2016.
The United States National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries,and serves as a national library of the United States and as the library of the United States Department of Agriculture. Located in Beltsville,Maryland,it is one of five national libraries of the United States. It is also the coordinator for the Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC),a national network of state land-grant institutions and coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) field libraries.
Food policy is the area of public policy concerning how food is produced,processed,distributed,purchased,or provided. Food policies are designed to influence the operation of the food and agriculture system balanced with ensuring human health needs. This often includes decision-making around production and processing techniques,marketing,availability,utilization,and consumption of food,in the interest of meeting or furthering social objectives. Food policy can be promulgated on any level,from local to global,and by a government agency,business,or organization. Food policymakers engage in activities such as regulation of food-related industries,establishing eligibility standards for food assistance programs for the poor,ensuring safety of the food supply,food labeling,and even the qualifications of a product to be considered organic.
Catherine Bertini is an American public servant. She is the 2003 World Food Prize Laureate. She was the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program from 1992 to 2002. She served as the UN Under-Secretary for Management from 2003 to 2005. Currently she is a distinguished fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs,the Chair of the Board of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the Chair of the Executive Board of the Crop Trust.
The Under Secretary for Food Safety is a subcabinet position within the United States Department of Agriculture responsible for oversight of the policies and programs of the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The Under Secretary chairs the U.S. Codex Steering Committee,which provides guidance to U.S. delegations to the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The Food Safety and Inspection Service is responsible for ensuring the nation's supply of meat,poultry,and processed egg products are safe and correctly labeled and packaged.
The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is a council,chartered in each administration with a broad mandate to advise the president of the United States on science and technology. The current PCAST was established by Executive Order 13226 on September 30,2001,by George W. Bush,was re-chartered by Barack Obama's April 21,2010,Executive Order 13539,by Donald Trump's October 22,2019,Executive Order 13895,and by Joe Biden's February 1,2021,Executive Order 14007.
Executive Schedule is the system of salaries given to the highest-ranked appointed officials in the executive branch of the U.S. government. The president of the United States appoints individuals to these positions,most with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. They include members of the president's Cabinet,several top-ranking officials of each executive department,the directors of some of the more prominent departmental and independent agencies,and several members of the Executive Office of the President.
Food safety in China is a widespread concern for the country's agricultural industry. China's principal crops are rice,corn,wheat,soybeans,and cotton in addition to apples and other fruits and vegetables. China's principal livestock products include pork,beef,dairy,and eggs. The Chinese government oversees agricultural production as well as the manufacture of food packaging,containers,chemical additives,drug production,and business regulation. In recent years,the Chinese government attempted to consolidate food safety regulation with the creation of the State Food and Drug Administration of China in 2003;officials have also been under increasing public and international pressure to solve food safety problems. Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang said,"Food is essential,and safety should be a top priority. Food safety is closely related to people's lives and health and economic development and social harmony," at a State Council meeting in Beijing.
The Under Secretary for Research,Education,and Economics is a high-ranking official within the United States Department of Agriculture that provides leadership and oversight for the Agricultural Research Service,National Institute of Food and Agriculture,Economic Research Service,National Agricultural Library,National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Elsa Alina Murano has been the Director of the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture &Development at Texas A&M University's Agriculture &Life Sciences program since 2012. She was the 23rd President of Texas A&M University from January 3,2008,until her effective resignation on June 15,2009.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide nutritional advice for Americans who are healthy or who are at risk for chronic disease but do not currently have chronic disease. The Guidelines are published every five years by the US Department of Agriculture,together with the US Department of Health and Human Services. Notably,the most recent ninth edition for 2020–25 includes dietary guidelines for children from birth to 23 months. In addition to the Dietary Guidelines per se,there are additional tools for assessing diet and nutrition,including the Healthy Eating Index (HEI),which can be used to assess the quality of a given selection of foods in the context of the Dietary Guidelines. Also provided are additional explanations regarding customization of the Guidelines to individual eating preferences,application of the Guidelines during pregnancy and infancy,the USDA Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review,information about the Nutrition Communicators Network and the MyPlate initiative,information from the National Academies about redesigning the process by which the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are created,and information about dietary guidelines from other nations.
Margaret Ann "Peggy" Hamburg is an American physician and public health administrator,who is serving as the chair of the board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and co-chair of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP). She served as the 21st Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from May 2009 to April 2015.
Alice Hinda Lichtenstein is an American professor and researcher in nutrition and heart disease. In 2006,Shape magazine named Lichtenstein one of ten "Women Who Shaped the World". In 2019,Tamar Haspel called her a "grande dame of nutrition."
Chavonda J. Jacobs-Young is an American government executive who serves as the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research,Education,and Economics. Jacobs-Young was previously the administrator of the Agriculture Research Service,first appointed in February 2014;she was the first female and person of color to lead the agency. In 1998,Jacobs-Young became the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in paper science.
Johanna T. Dwyer is an American nutrition scientist and dietitian. She is a senior scientist at the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements and director of the Frances Stern Nutrition Center at Tufts Medical Center. Dwyer is a professor of nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
Tambra Raye Stevenson is an African-American entrepreneur,nutrition educator,public speaker,policy advisor,inventor,and food justice activist. Stevenson founded WANDA and NativSol Kitchen. She is a Nutrition and Health Co-chair for the DC Food Policy Council,a Committee member for the National Agricultural Research,Extension,Education,and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board,and was named National Geographic Traveler of the Year in 2014. She is co-chair of Bringing It To The Table.
