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The Trump administration is taking aim at ultra-processed foods while reversing long-held U.S. government stances on red meat and saturated fats.
“The Trump administration is now updating federal nutrition standards and guidelines to ensure that Americans have the most accurate, data-driven information supported by science and hard facts, not special interests or partisan ideology,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
Leavitt said that the guidelines would impact what is served in public schools, what American servicemembers eat and what food is distributed through government programs.
“Faulty dietary guidelines of the past stack the deck against healthy eating and food options for everyday American families, which has fueled the chronic disease epidemic and jacked up the health care costs of households across the country,” Leavitt added. “When these guidelines are followed, Americans will be saving themselves thousands of dollars. If we want to cut health care costs in our country, we must become a healthier country… A healthier America will lead to a more affordable America.”
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the new guidelines with an updated, inverted food pyramid. The top of the pyramid, which is now the wider part of the structure, is built on meat, fats, fruits and vegetables, while whole grains are at the narrow bottom.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made overhauling the U.S. food supply a crucial focus of his “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda, which is aimed at addressing chronic disease and childhood illnesses. The secretary has argued that the nation’s food practices have harmed Americans and led to skyrocketing healthcare costs.
“The new guidelines recognize that whole, nutrient-dense food is the most effective path to better health and lower health care costs,” Kennedy said. “Protein and healthy fats are essential, and were wrongly discouraged in prior dietary guidelines. We are ending the war on saturated fats.”
The HHS secretary railed against refined carbohydrates, food additives and added sugar, highlighting the health risks associated with sugar-sweetened beverages. Kennedy’s main message to Americans was to “eat real food.”
Kennedy framed the issue as not only one about health, but also one of national security.
“If a foreign adversary sought to destroy the health of our children, cripple our economy, to weaken our national security, there would be no better strategy than to addict us to ultra-processed foods,” he said.
The new guidance comes in stark contrast to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s report released in the final days of President Joe Biden’s term, which garnered criticism over a lack of directives on ultra-processed foods.
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