USDA gears up for MAHA dietary guidelines update
(WKBN) – Updated dietary guidelines will soon be coming out of the USDA following the first meeting of the Make America Healthy (MAHA) Commission.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. held their first meeting Tuesday for the commission and are working on the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The group is conducting a 'line by line' review of the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee—released in 2024 by the prior administration and will release their guidelines ahead of a December 31, 2025 deadline.
The group said they are looking to make 'holistic process improvements' to ensure transparency and conflicts of interest.
'We are going to make sure the dietary guidelines will reflect the public interest and serve public health, rather than special interests,' HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said. 'This is a giant step in making America the healthiest country in the world.'
Dietary guidelines have been released by the federal government for more than 100 years offering guidance and advice about what to eat and drink for better health.
Secretary Rollins said, 'It's the dawn of a new day,' adding that the guidelines will be based on 'sound science.'
'The Trump-Vance Administration supports transformational opportunities to create and implement policies that promote healthy choices, healthy families, and healthy outcomes,' she said.
Kennedy has cited 'highly chemically processed foods' as a chief culprit behind an epidemic of chronic disease in the U.S., including ailments such as obesity, diabetes and autoimmune disorders.
USDA canceled $1 billion in funding for schools and food banks that came through two federal programs: Local Food for Schools and Local Food Purchase Assitance Cooperative Agreement. The cuts were made through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in an effort to reduce what it calls government waste. USDA officials said that they are prioritizing replacing programs with 'stable, proven solutions.' For most schools, the programs account for about 2% of food budgets.
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