Grand Canyon Times

Lauren Scheller Maehling, the executive director of the Arizona Beef Council, said Vice President Kamala Harris' move to restrict red meat consumption in the government dietary guidelines would "further jeopardize" everyday Arizonans who already face food insecurity and would negatively impact a major driver of the state's economy. 

"The beef industry in Arizona is a large economic driver to our state, contributing $431 million annually to our state’s GDP, the last time measured, and is one of Arizona’s foundational '5 C’s,'" Scheller Maehling told Grand Canyon Times. "Importantly, beef is a high-quality protein that provides essential nutrients like zinc, iron and B-vitamins, that fuel Arizonans in all stages of life. Limiting a nutrient-dense food like beef would further jeopardize the 30% of Arizonans who are already food-insecure."

Vice President Kamala Harris (D) said she would change the government dietary guidelines to reduce Americans’ consumption of red meat. Such a move would impact Arizona’s agriculture and economy, with almost all of the agricultural land in the state dedicated to cattle grazing.

Harris’ comments came during a 2019 CNN town hall meeting while Harris was a candidate for U.S. President.

"Would you support changing the dietary guidelines, the food pyramid, to reduce red meat specifically?" CNN's Erin Burnett asked.

“Yes, I would,” Harris answered.

Harris ended her presidential campaign before a single Democratic primary took place in the 2020 election, before being selected as President Joe Biden’s running mate.

Changing government dietary guidelines to encourage less beef consumption would impact the economy in Arizona, which is home to 19,000 farms and ranches that produce $6.73 million in cash receipts annually, according to the Arizona Beef Council.

Grazing land makes up 73% of Arizona’s total land area and about 98% of Arizona’s total agricultural land, according to a 2014 report by The University of Arizona, and the state saw more than $800 million in cattle and calf sales in 2011.

Prior to being Vice President, Harris represented California for a partial term in the U.S. Senate. She was previously the state’s attorney general. 

She was endorsed by President Biden for president after Biden announced he was stepping down from the campaign earlier this week.

If elected, she would be the first Indian-American person to hold the office of U.S. President. 

Scheller Maehling has worked with the Arizona Beef Council since 2010, becoming the executive director in 2017. She earned her bachelor's degree from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo.