Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Jan 7: The Trump administration on Wednesday announced a new set of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, presenting them as a fundamental overhaul of federal nutrition policy aimed at tackling chronic disease, curbing rising healthcare costs, and reshaping government food programs around what officials described as “real food.”
The guidelines for the 2025–2030 period were unveiled by White House Press secretary Karoline Leavitt alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. Leavitt said the move was a key pillar of President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda to “make America healthy again.”
“These are not simply revised recommendations,” Leavitt said. “They form the backbone of every federal food program in this country.”
Kennedy described the changes as the most dramatic shift in federal nutrition policy to date, arguing that earlier guidelines had encouraged consumption of ultra-processed foods and refined carbohydrates while unfairly discouraging protein and healthy fats. He accused past policies of prioritising corporate interests over public health.
“For years, Americans were misled in the name of profit,” Kennedy said. “That ends now.”
Under the new framework, federal nutrition policy will prioritise whole and nutrient-rich foods, higher protein intake, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, while placing stricter limits on added sugars. Kennedy said the government was abandoning its long-standing resistance to saturated fats and instead focusing aggressively on reducing sugar consumption.
“These guidelines are about transforming how America eats,” he said. “The message is simple: choose real food.”
Agriculture Secretary Rollins said decades of federal incentives had pushed American-grown foods out of the spotlight, contributing to what she called a national crisis of chronic illness. “We are facing the worst health outcomes in our history,” she said. “The fix doesn’t need to be complicated — it starts with real food.”
The updated guidelines will directly influence meals served in public schools, the armed forces, veterans’ healthcare facilities, and federal nutrition programs such as SNAP, WIC and Head Start. Officials clarified that the rollout would involve gradual changes through updated regulations and procurement standards rather than immediate, sweeping mandates.
“This won’t happen overnight,” Kennedy said. “But meaningful change is coming sooner than people expect.”
Dr Mehmet Oz said the new approach could significantly reduce federal healthcare spending by preventing obesity-related illnesses. “The most effective way to cut drug costs is to reduce the need for medication altogether,” he said.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary called the announcement a turning point in nutrition science policy, saying it marked the decline of outdated dietary dogma. He added that protein intake recommendations for children could rise by 50 to 100 per cent under the new guidelines.
Updated every five years, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans play a critical role in shaping food policy across federal agencies and influence the daily diets of tens of millions of people nationwide.