• Comments Open for Next Edition of Dietary Guidelines

    FPs Encouraged to Participate on Updates for 2025-2030

    Jan. 26, 2023 News Staff — Family physicians have a chance to shape the next edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans by joining virtual meetings that begin next month and submitting comments as the update effort proceeds.

    Stethoscope on blue background with fruits, vegetables, nuts, grain, herbs and spices

    The 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is beginning work that will inform recommendations for the 2025-2030 edition. Its first meeting will be livestreamed Feb. 9-10, with five more planned over the next two years.

    About the Advisory Committee

    The committee consists of 20 experts in nutrition and public health who also have experience with health equity and conducting research with diverse patient populations. Members will review data and then write a scientific report that HHS and the Department of Agriculture will consider along with public comment as the agencies create the next edition of the guidelines.

    The committee plans to use a health equity lens to “help HHS and USDA ensure that the resulting guidance in the Dietary Guidelines is relevant to people with diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.”

    “Diet-related diseases are on the rise across all age groups, and we must rise to the challenge by providing nutrition guidance that people from all walks of life can tailor to meet their needs,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in an HHS press release.

    About the Guidelines

    For individual FPs and other health care professionals, Dietary Guidelines for Americans serves a vital role by providing food-based recommendations they can use to help patients avoid or reduce diet-related diseases, promote healthy choices and improve health outcomes.

    At the national level, it is used to develop federal food, nutrition and health policies and programs. It also serves as the foundation of educational materials for the public and for USDA and HHS food programs.

    Many state and local governments, school systems and community groups also use the guidelines to develop nutrition-related programs and policies.