Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced this week that the upcoming U.S. dietary guidelines will urge Americans to eat more “whole food.”
“We are about to reissue the dietary guidelines, and we’re going to do it very quickly,” Kennedy told members of the House of Representatives on May 14.
The current guidelines, published in December 2020, are 164 pages long. They advise people to eat a healthy diet and reduce their intake of sugary foods and beverages.
In late 2024, an advisory committee submitted a 421-page draft for the 2025–2030 guidelines. That draft recommended Americans eat less meat, avoid full-fat dairy, and include more plant-based proteins such as lentils.
But Kennedy criticized the draft, claiming it was influenced by food industry interests. He said it reflected “carnal impulses that put Froot Loops at the top of the food pyramid,” referencing past ties between committee members and major food companies like Kellogg.
“We are changing that,” Kennedy told lawmakers. “We’re going to have four-page dietary guidelines that tell people essentially, ‘eat whole food, eat the food that’s good for you.’”
The dietary guidelines are updated every four years and are used to help Americans meet nutritional needs, stay healthy, and prevent chronic disease. They also guide federal nutrition programs, including school lunch standards.
Kennedy said simplified guidelines would make it easier for programs like Head Start, which supports children from low-income families, to provide better food. He criticized the use of sugary, packaged foods in those programs, saying, “We’re poisoning this generation.”
The public comment period for the new guidelines ended in February. In March, USDA and HHS officials said the final version would be released by the end of 2025.
Earlier this month, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told a House panel that the guidelines could be ready by early fall. “They will be very simple,” Rollins said. “They will speak directly to the American family.”
Later on May 14, Kennedy told a Senate committee that the shorter guidelines will also promote foods that “can be locally sourced,” a change that could impact what is served in school lunches.
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