USDA, HHS should follow new advice of Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

Overall, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's report is evidence-based and grounded in a systematic and transparent process. 

The committee’s advice would strengthen the Dietary Guidelines by emphasizing consumption of fruits, vegetables, plant-based proteins, and whole grains, while limiting red or processed meat, refined grains, and foods high in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar. The Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services should follow the DGAC’s evidence-based recommendation to maintain current recommended limits on saturated fat, added sugar, and sodium, despite inevitable opposition from the food industry.   

The limitations in the evidence base related to ultra-processed foods identified in the DGAC report should provide more impetus for research into the impacts of these foods. In the meantime, the committee’s recommendations would strengthen existing advice to limit foods that clearly pose negative health risks and which include many foods considered ultra-processed: those high in added sugar, saturated fat, sodium, processed meat, and refined grains.  

The incoming administration would do well to adopt the committee’s recommendations in their current form; if followed, they have the potential to encourage Americans to eat better.