USDA names nutrition center policy chief

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A nationally recognized nutrition researcher is the new director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.

Agriculture Undersecretary Nancy Johner Tuesday announced the appointment of Dr. Brian Wansink, currently a professor and the director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab in the Department of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y.

At the Agriculture Department's CNPP, Wansink will oversee planning, development and review of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the food pyramid, as well as programs such as the Healthy Eating Index, the USDA Food Plans, the Nutrient Content of the U.S. Food Supply and the cost of raising a child, the USDA said in a news release.

"Dr. Wansink is nationally recognized in his field of nutrition research which focuses on how to encourage consumers to eat more nutritiously and better control how much they eat," Johner said.