On January 7, 2025, a significant shift in federal nutrition policy was unveiled as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Secretary Rollins and Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Secretary Kennedy presented the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 (DGA). The Trump Administration has hailed this publication as the “most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in our nation’s history.” This article delves into the history of the DGA, outlines the changes in its latest iteration, and explores its potential impact.
The DGA is a comprehensive report updated every five years, providing nutritional and dietary guidelines for the general public. It also serves as a critical resource for federal agencies managing various nutrition programs. The first DGA was published in 1980, but it became a legal requirement under the 1990 National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act. This legislation mandates that the DGA must be based on the most current scientific and medical knowledge available at the time of its preparation.
The scientific foundation of the DGA is typically determined by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), a group of nationally recognized experts in nutrition and health. The DGAC is tasked with providing independent, science-based recommendations for the DGA. For the 2025-2030 DGA, USDA and HHS, under the Biden Administration, began the process in 2022 by soliciting comments on proposed scientific questions and nominations for the DGAC. The DGAC held seven meetings over two years and published their findings in December 2024. However, following the administration change in 2025, Secretaries Rollins and Kennedy identified “deficiencies” in the DGAC’s report, particularly with its “health equity” framework and focus on plant-based protein sources. Consequently, the Administration conducted an independent evidence review process with nutrition scientists and subject matter experts selected through a federal contracting process. The findings of this review were published in “The Scientific Foundation For The Dietary Guidelines For Americans” and its accompanying appendices.
The newly published DGA, promoted with the tagline “Eat Real Food,” defines this concept as choosing foods that are whole or minimally processed and recognizable as food, with few ingredients. The most noticeable change in the new DGA is its brevity—just ten pages compared to the previous 164-page version. The guidelines are organized into eight categories with short bullet points, providing daily intake advice for a 2,000-calorie dietary pattern. These categories include: Eat the Right Amount for You; Prioritize Protein Foods at Every Meal; Consume Dairy; Eat Vegetables & Fruits Throughout the Day; Incorporate Healthy Fats; Focus on Whole Grains; Limit Highly Processed Foods, Added Sugars, & Refined Carbohydrates; and Limit Alcoholic Beverages. Specific guidelines are also provided for special populations such as infants, pregnant women, and vegetarians/vegans.
The serving goals for the food categories have seen some adjustments. Protein intake is now recommended at 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, an increase from previous guidelines. Dairy remains at three servings per day, while vegetables and fruits have seen a decrease in recommended servings. Healthy fats should not exceed 10% of total daily calories, and whole grains are prioritized over refined carbohydrates. The DGA also includes stronger language about added sugars and weaker language about alcohol. A new visual aid, “The New Pyramid,” replaces the “MyPlate” and older “Food Pyramid” models. This inverted pyramid highlights three categories: Protein, Dairy, & Healthy Fats; Vegetables & Fruits; and Whole Grains.
The impact of the DGA extends beyond public guidance, influencing federal food, nutrition, and health programs. For instance, federally funded school meals must align with the latest DGA. In 2024, the USDA published a final rule creating added sugar limits in school lunch and breakfast programs to reflect DGA guidance. However, not every update to the DGA results in significant changes to school meal programs. The current administration has indicated plans to update school meals and other nutrition programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, to reflect the new DGA.
Reactions to the new DGA have been mixed among agriculture groups. Some have praised the focus on whole foods and the emphasis on protein, while others have criticized the reduced emphasis on plant-based proteins and the “health equity” framework. As the nation digests these changes, the long-term impact of the 2025-2030 DGA on public health and federal nutrition programs remains to be