billion on price supports to artificially reduce the price of cattle feed to benefit the dairy, beef and veal industries, and then pay the medical bills for an overweight population. he asks if the usda is under the influence of the food industry, because a food pyramid based on science would have vegetables at its foundation. these controversies prompted the creation of pyramids for specific audiences, including a vegetarian diet pyramid. the successor to the food pyramid called myplate has also received numerous criticisms such as, "the federal government continues to be very bad at telling people what and how to eat", but unlike the food pyramid—which was very well known—the myplate program has yet to become publicly well known, with as "...3 out of 4 americans no idea what the government's myplate dietary guide is..." alternatives to the usda pyramid the harvard school of public health proposes a healthy eating pyramid with an emphasis on vegetables, healthy proteins, and healthy fats as an alternative to the food guide pyramid. the university of michigan integrative medicine’s healing foods pyramid emphasizes plant-based choices, variety and balance. it includes sections for seasonings and water as well as healthy fats. the government-produced japanese food guide spinning top was released in 2005. myplate the myplate food guide icon myplate is the current nutrition guide published by the united states department of agriculture, depicting a place setting with a plate and glass divided into five food groups. it replaced the usda's mypyramid guide on june 2, 2011, concluding 19 years of usda food pyramid diagrams.