Deadlines are approaching for the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, set to be released in 2025. These guidelines provide crucial advice on healthy eating habits that promote growth, prevent chronic diseases, and meet nutrient requirements.
The expert Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which was formed in early 2023, has already held five meetings. A potential sixth meeting is scheduled for September 25-26, 2024, if needed. If this meeting occurs, registration details will be shared with the public near the event date.
This committee is made up of 20 nationally recognized food and nutrition experts. Since 1990, federal law has required the Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services to publish the Dietary Guidelines every five years. The committee’s recommendations are passed on to these Secretaries, who make the final decisions. The guidelines then become the foundation of federal food and nutrition guidance.
According to government officials, “The nature of dietary guidance—advising on which foods and nutrients to consume more or less of—has remained consistent. However, the messages have evolved as nutrition science has advanced.”
The current update is nearing completion after a scientifically rigorous, multi-year effort. The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) started by identifying scientific questions with input from experts and the public. These questions were then reviewed by the committee.
The committee refined the questions, developed research protocols, reviewed and synthesized scientific evidence, presented their findings, and considered public feedback. This work will result in a comprehensive report on the state of nutrition science, providing recommendations to HHS and USDA.
Once the committee submits its report, or when its two-year term ends, its work will conclude. The next edition of the Dietary Guidelines will be shaped by the committee’s findings, existing federal guidance, input from agencies, and public comments.
The committee used three methods to review evidence: data analysis, food pattern modeling, and systematic reviews. Each method has its own strict protocols and provides a different perspective on the science. HHS and USDA staff supported the committee in this process.
So far, the 2025 update has not sparked much controversy. The committee has reviewed evidence on topics like lactose intolerance, affecting about 36 percent of the U.S. population. Earlier concerns from the potato industry about potatoes being reclassified as a grain in the guidelines were addressed when the Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services reassured Senator Susan Collins that no such reclassification was planned.
The USDA and HHS are responsible for updating the guidelines. In a statement, they emphasized that the guidelines are meant to be flexible, reflecting the diverse diets of the U.S. population. However, they acknowledged that most Americans do not follow the recommendations.
In contrast, the U.S. wine industry has voiced concerns about potential changes to alcohol consumption guidelines. While current U.S. guidelines allow men two drinks per day and women one, Canada recently updated its guidance to recommend no more than two drinks per week.
The current edition of the Dietary Guidelines, covering 2020-2025, included new recommendations for children from birth to 23 months for the first time. However, at the end of the last five-year review, HHS and USDA rejected the expert panel’s advice to lower targets for sugar and alcohol consumption.
Earlier this year, Germany released new dietary guidelines that focus on sustainability and plant-based foods. Germany’s guidelines recommend a diet made up of 75 percent plant-based foods and 25 percent animal-based foods, with a preference for plant-based fats over animal fats.
