Last week, the Food & Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency released an updated draft of the collaborative publication Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  Included in this updated draft is a key recommendation for the minimum amount of seafood that should be consumed on a regular basis.  The FDA and EPA note that this recommendation is especially important for pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding and young children and is based on emerging science that highlights the importance and health value of consuming seafood.

The update to the original Dietary Guidelines for Americans which was released in 2010 includes the following recommendations:

-“Increase the amount and variety of seafood consumed by choosing seafood in place of some meat and poultry.”

-“Consume 8 to 12 ounces of seafood per week from a variety of seafood types.” (especially for pregnant women)

The draft update, which is still under review, includes additional recommendations promoting seafood consumption. The federal register dated 06/11/14 provides an overview of this draft update and highlights the important recommendations that the revision to Dietary Guidelines for Americans will include. The federal register with info on this FDA/EPA update to the document can be read by clicking here.

You can also read more about the government’s role in promoting and regulating seafood consumption in the U.S. along with special recent updates for pregnant women and parents by reading this recent US News & World Report article.