A battle appears to be brewing over the U.S. Federal Government’s dietary standards, and though nothing is final, the sides are lining up in a way that promises some interesting insights into competing priorities for the American diet.

In one corner, there is the U.S. Department of Agriculture: It publishes the every-5-years Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a thick, complicated set of instructions which most Americans encounter in the “eat this not that” visualization MyPlate. The guidelines are set to renew this year, and the usual federal process of committees, experts and meetings has been grinding along for several years now.

In the opposing corner, there is the country’s large, politically powerful meat-production sector: beef, pork, and chicken raisers, processors and