Focus On Myplate

Background:  A look at food guides over the years reflects evolving dietary guidance and communications.  From complex guidance systems, such as the Basic 7 to the Hassle-Free Daily Food Guide to the Pyramid, and now a simple graphic, MyPlate, it’s clear that Federal agencies, as well as nutrition communicators everywhere have been grappling with teaching consumers what they need to know about nutrition and then motivating them to do it.  MyPlate is a departure from previous approaches and was developed as a fresh and powerful visual cue to remind consumers to make healthful food choices from all food groups. These messages are wrapped up in a familiar mealtime symbol—a plate.  This presentation will go in-depth on the content of the program that supports  MyPlate, a specific component of the 2010 DGA communications program that has been very well-received and can serve as a basis for nutrition education programs everywhere. 

Program background:  Lessons learned from past food guides demonstrated a strong need to develop a simple food group graphic for consumers.  Past guides were developed to communicate and teach all the nutrition behaviors necessary to achieve a healthy diet.  With time, it became clear that an icon that can convey just a couple of simple, but meaningful, messages (e.g., eating more fruits and vegetables) was more realistic than trying to capture all of the nutrition recommendations embodied in the Dietary Guidelines into one graphic.    Supporting resources were then developed to help consumers apply the dietary guidance in ways that fit into their individual lifestyles.  Many of these resources currently reside at ChooseMyPlate.gov.  This government site is a colorful, engaging, and informative source for nutrition information for consumers and nutrition communicators alike.  Featuring SuperTracker, an award-winning, interactive tool for consumers, tips, daily food plans, recipes, challenges, videos, ChooseMyPlate.gov and its contents have been extremely well-received. 

Evaluation Methods and Results:  Ongoing evaluation will be on a continuum based on the stage of the communications program.  The best initial indicators of success are evaluating metrics associated with implementation mechanisms.  Then, consumer baseline measures (awareness, understanding, receptiveness).  Later, is a focus on consumer intention and self-reporting of dietary behaviors.  Finally, survey data on intake and food patterns can demonstrate impact.  CNPP routinely monitors market data and consumer research on MyPlate, as well as user analytics from ChooseMyPlate.gov and SuperTracker.  Qualitative feedback from ChooseMyPlate.gov and SuperTracker also is used to direct future efforts. 

Conclusions:  MyPlate, and the resources and tools at  ChooseMyPlate.gov, such as SuperTracker, have been very well-received by consumers and health professionals. 

Implications for research and/or practice:  We encourage those in the nutrition communication and marketing space to  leverage MyPlate as an icon to convey simple messages to consumers about eating healthfully; use the simple consumer tips on ChooseMyPlate.gov and create new tips for other audiences; and employ SuperTracker to help consumers build healthier diets.