The Trump administration is slated to release new dietary guidelines this week that are expected to say Americans should be mindful of consuming too much of certain highly processed foods, such as those high in added sugars and sodium, as well as refined carbohydrates, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The recommendations will emphasize eating whole foods — such as fruits and vegetables — dairy products, and foods rich in protein and whole grains, according to a federal health official and another person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details that are not yet public.
The new guidance comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made overhauling the nation’s food supply a priority of his Make America Healthy Again agenda, aimed at addressing chronic disease and childhood illness. He has claimed the industry is mass poisoning this generation of children, and his messaging around food has found broad appeal unlike his handling of vaccination policy. Some nutrition experts praised some of the expected changes, and the guidance is also generally expected to get a warm reception from MAHA allies.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are updated every five years to recommend what people should eat and is considered a cornerstone of federal nutrition policy. The document to promote health is written by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Agriculture Department. Food Fix first reported details of the upcoming announcement.
Federal data shows more than half of the calories Americans consume come from ultra-processed foods, which studies have identified as risk factors for obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Some nutrition experts have applauded the idea of encouraging Americans to move away from hyper-palatable, industrially produced food products.
“For these guidelines to recommend their consumption be reduced is a ground-shaking change in how USDA and HHS have approached the guidelines,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of Tufts University’s Food Is Medicine Institute.
In December 2024, an advisory committee of health and nutrition experts that typically helps shape the dietary guidelines did not take a hard stance against ultra-processed foods, saying there was limited data and the products lack a clear definition. Some nutritionists criticized that approach. Marion Nestle, a retired professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, called it “excessively cautious.”
She called the potential for the new guidance to minimize highly processed foods “a big step forward.” But she expressed concern that it comes from an administration that she argued has hampered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies in the last year.
Some nutritionists have said there’s been confusion over the term “ultra-processed,” which has led to demonizing products that contain some healthy nutrients, including certain breads and yogurts. Kennedy’s health agencies, along with USDA, are working to establish a uniform definition for ultra-processed foods.
Whether to change the approach to saturated fat has been among the most contentious issues with the revisions to the nutrition guidelines. Some top health officials have argued that saturated fats — which nutritionists have long warned Americans to minimize, citing evidence of negative health effects — have been unfairly demonized.
The current guidelines recommend less than 10 percent of daily calories come from saturated fat. One person familiar with the matter said the cap on saturated fat is not expected to change.
Kennedy has repeatedly called for the guidelines to be shorter, and a federal health official said the administration is aiming for the new guidance to be more streamlined and user-friendly.
HHS, USDA and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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