The potential recommendation for people to reduce their intake of red and processed meats quickly drew ire from the meat industry. Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO of the Meat Institute, shared that the suggestion to reduce meat is “alarming, disappointing and ... contradictory to the committee’s other findings about nutritional deficiencies," Agri-Pulse reported.

Shalene McNeill, the executive director of nutrition science at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, who is also a registered dietitian, stated, “It’s baffling that we are trying to get Americans to cut out red meat when the evidence indicates nutrient deficiencies and chronic disease are increasing as red meat consumption declines,” McNeill added that red meat contains “important nutrients including potassium, iron, and choline.”