WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD-TV) — Federal nutrition policy has shifted sharply with the release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, as the White House, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) move away from processed foods and toward whole, nutrient-dense eating — or as they say, “Eat Real Food.”
The new guidelines emphasize protein, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while urging Americans to avoid highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars. Officials also unveiled a new, upside-down food pyramid and companion website, RealFood.gov, to explain the updated guidelines.
“Eating ‘real food’ means choosing foods that are whole or minimally processed and recognizable as food,” the government website FAQs explain. “These goods are prepared with few ingredients or without added sugars, industrial oils, artificial flavors, or preservatives.”
Today's NEW Dietary Guidelines deliver a clear, common-sense message to the American people: EAT REAL FOOD.
— HHS (@HHSGov) January 7, 2026
The 2025–2030 Guidelines reestablish food — not pharmaceuticals — as the foundation of health and reclaim the food pyramid as a tool for nourishment and education. pic.twitter.com/1HKJjCpMPp
The Trump Administration says the reset is aimed squarely at addressing chronic disease, which now drives nearly 90 percent of U.S. health care spending. Federal officials argue that previous guidelines encouraged low-quality foods and pharmaceutical intervention rather than prevention, contributing to obesity, diabetes, and diet-related illness across all age groups.
For the first time, the guidelines explicitly warn against highly processed foods and added sugars, including recommending zero added sugar for children under four. They also restore full-fat dairy, prioritize protein at every meal, and recognize lower-carbohydrate diets as a potential tool for managing chronic disease.
The guidance will shape federal nutrition programs, including school meals, military rations, and SNAP, signaling potential shifts in procurement and long-term food demand.
Ag Industry and Lawmakers React to New Guidelines
The ag industry is weighing in on newly released dietary guidelines out of the Make America Healthy Again Commission (MAHA). They are putting renewed focus on protein intake, and the National Chicken Council (NCC) supports it.
The group says proteins like chicken can help all Americans meet the new Dietary Guidelines. NCC Senior Vice President Ashley Peterson says chicken is a pillar of the protein group and notes that the Administration used a science-based approach in developing these new rules.
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins was on hand for the announcement and says this will be game-changing for school meals.
“As everyone is aware, for many of our most vulnerable in the margins of our communities, the school lunch is often the best place for our children to get the healthiest meal,” Rollins said. “Hopefully, with stocking standards and reworking SNAP and the SNAP waivers we’ve done, that begins to change, too. But right now, that is going to be the single most important, from my perspective, move forward is the school lunches and making sure that we’re getting the right amount, the best amount, and most nutrient-dense foods into the schools.”
Brandon Lipps, a former USDA official in the first Trump Administration, is also weighing in. Lipps served as deputy undersecretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. He says these new guidelines go far beyond the typical consumer and will impact several key areas.
“When you look at things like school meals, where we spend over $20 billion a year of government dollars on food, school meals have to comply with the dietary guidelines,” Lipps explains. “The food that is purchased and served to our military has to comply with dietary guidelines. The recommendation of what SNAP consumers should eat, certainly as we see SNAP restrictions come in place, is influenced by the dietary guidelines, so it can actually have a very significant effect. On the food market in this country.
HSS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., says the new guidelines “return to the basics” and urges all households to prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods like protein, dairy, vegetables, and fruit.
The pork industry is MAHA policies. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) says the commission was established by executive order and warns that it could be undone by a new administration. That is why they are working with states to find permanent solutions.
“Specifically, seeking to strengthen, some of the things that we’re working with the states right now on are getting that definition of ultra-processed foods adopted at the state level,” says Lucy Russell. “The ‘Make America Healthy Again’ movement is an executive order, and all it takes to overturn an executive order is a new administration coming in and deciding that they’re no longer going to pursue it. So, if we can work through the state legislative process, that will be a more permanent solution, and we want to make sure that those definitions are beneficial for consumers as well as all agriculture.”
She says MAHA is not their only concern. They are also working to address longstanding issues, such as California’s Prop 12. The group is also calling on Congress to get a new five-year Farm Bill across the finish line this year.
Many agriculture lawmakers are also praising the new dietary guidelines, like physician and Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS). Marshall joined us on Thursday’s Market Day Report with his reaction.
In his interview with RFD-TV News, Sen. Marshall shared his immediate takeaways from the new dietary guidelines and what they mean for American farmers, ranchers, and consumers. He also discussed the soon-to-expire stopgap spending bill, which could shut down portions of the federal government again at the end of January.
While the last Continuing Resolution secured funding for key agriculture-related departments, such as the USDA, Marshall explained that another pause in Washington could further delay progress on a ‘skinny’ Farm Bill after the extended shutdown at the end of last year. Finally, Marshall reflected on the sudden passing of his friend and colleague, Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California, and reflected on their work together on Capitol Hill as advocates for agriculture.
Dietary Guidelines Praise Protein Yet Leave Confusing Contradictions
New federal dietary guidelines deliver a broadly positive message for animal protein while simultaneously preserving policies that limit the extent to which those recommendations can be applied. That assessment comes from Steve Dittmer, executive vice president of the Agribusiness Freedom Foundation, following the release of the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines.
At a high level, the guidelines encourage Americans to consume more nutrient-dense protein from meat, eggs, and dairy while cutting added sugars and ultra-processed foods. Dittmer says that the message will resonate with most consumers and is clearly supportive of livestock agriculture.
However, the report retains the long-standing cap limiting saturated fat to 10 percent of total calories. Dittmer argues that the constraint directly conflicts with the recommendation to increase animal-based protein intake, making full compliance nearly impossible for institutional meal planners, such as schools and military kitchens.
While most consumers are unlikely to notice the contradiction, dietitians operating federal nutrition programs must still adhere to the saturated fat cap, limiting meaningful menu changes. Dittmer says the result is a mixed outcome — positive public messaging paired with lingering policy barriers rooted in outdated nutrition dogma.
