Under the new "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) commission, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are spearheading significant changes to national nutrition recommendations.
According to Fox News, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have initiated a comprehensive review of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, with plans to release updated recommendations before year's end.
The agencies are conducting a detailed "line-by-line" examination of the guidelines previously issued by the Biden administration. This review marks a significant shift in federal nutrition policy, emphasizing transparency and the elimination of potential conflicts of interest in dietary recommendations that have guided Americans for the past century.
Kennedy's involvement has already produced tangible results through meetings with major food industry players. The HHS Secretary met with representatives from leading companies including Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Tyson Foods, and PepsiCo, along with the Consumer Brands Association.
Following these discussions, Kennedy announced plans to eliminate the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) loophole. This regulatory pathway has allowed manufacturers to introduce new ingredients into the U.S. food supply without proper FDA notification or public disclosure.
The decision represents a fundamental change in how food safety is regulated in America. It demonstrates the administration's commitment to increasing oversight of food industry practices and ensuring greater transparency in ingredient approval processes.
Secretary Rollins emphasized the administration's commitment to evidence-based guidelines, stating:
I commend President Trump on his bold leadership to empower Americans to live longer, healthier, more abundant lives. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues across the Cabinet and leading efforts at the Department of Agriculture to encourage healthy choices, outcomes and families.
The review process aims to distinguish between scientifically supported recommendations and politically influenced guidelines. The current guidelines, particularly regarding oils and fats, have become a point of contention among nutrition experts and MAHA supporters.
MAHA advocates have specifically targeted the current guidelines' stance on seed oils. They question the recommendation of commonly used oils such as canola, corn, and soybean oils, instead promoting natural animal fats like beef tallow.
Secretary Kennedy shared his vision for the updated guidelines, declaring:
We are going to make sure the dietary guidelines will reflect the public interest and serve public health, rather than special interests.
The joint initiative between USDA and HHS emphasizes process improvements to minimize conflicts of interest. This approach aligns with the administration's broader goal of increasing transparency in public health policy.
The agencies have committed to releasing the 2025-2030 dietary guidelines ahead of the December 31, 2025 deadline. This accelerated timeline reflects the urgency of implementing these reforms.
The USDA and HHS are revolutionizing federal dietary guidelines through their comprehensive review process initiated by the MAHA commission. Under the leadership of Secretaries Rollins and Kennedy, the agencies aim to release updated recommendations by December 2025, emphasizing scientific evidence over political considerations. The initiative includes significant regulatory changes, such as eliminating the GRAS loophole, and involves collaboration with major food industry stakeholders to ensure transparency and protect public health interests.
