Trump administration delays dietary guidelines amid government shutdown
The Trump administration is delaying the release of new national dietary guidelines after the government shutdown disrupted efforts to finalize the overhaul by the end of October, reports BritPanorama.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) are now tentatively targeting December for publishing the highly anticipated nutrition advice, which is expected to make major changes to the government recommendations for a healthy diet.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has touted the revamp as an opportunity to transform people’s eating habits and align federal food policy with the core tenets of his Make America Healthy Again movement. The guidelines, updated every five years, will have far-reaching implications for school meals and various federal nutrition programs.
A fierce critic of the current dietary recommendations, Kennedy has blamed poor diet for many of the nation’s biggest health challenges. He has promised vastly simplified guidelines that emphasize whole foods, including increased consumption of saturated fats from meat and dairy products.
“There’s a tremendous amount of emerging science that talks about the need for protein in our diet and more fats in our diet,” Kennedy stated during a July event with ice cream brands.
In response to inquiries from CNN, spokespeople for the White House and HHS confirmed the delay in finalizing the guidelines, with a White House official calling it “another unfortunate consequence” of a shutdown that the administration has attributed to Democrats.
Kennedy originally hoped to deliver the new dietary guidelines by the end of September, months ahead of the official year-end deadline. After health and agriculture officials missed that target, they set a new goal for unveiling them by the end of October.
However, with the shutdown hindering the final stage of work and no resolution in sight, the administration is now tentatively planning to roll out the guidelines in December at the latest, as they are required to finalize them by December 31.
HHS and the USDA have dedicated much of the year to developing the new guidelines. Although many Americans may not read the guide, which currently extends to 164 pages, its recommendations significantly influence school meal offerings, medical advice, and the types of foods eligible for purchase with food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
This means Kennedy’s pledge to reshape the guidelines could affect billions of dollars in yearly spending, provoking intensified speculation and lobbying within the food industry, where even minor changes can have substantial financial ramifications.
The promotion of increased saturated fat consumption would mark a notable departure from existing recommendations that advise seeking fat-free or low-fat dairy and limiting saturated fats to 10% of daily intake.
Concerns over the potential changes have alarmed some nutrition experts, who highlight significant links between red meat consumption and heart health risks. The recommendation to limit saturated fat has been a longstanding guideline within federal dietary recommendations, according to the nonprofit nutritional health advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Nevertheless, Kennedy and advocates of the Make America Healthy Again movement have dismissed these concerns, arguing that the current scientific consensus is flawed and influenced by corporate interests.
“We’re rewriting the food guidance and cleaning house on the food pyramid, a document contaminated by industry influence, not based on good science but what they wanted you to buy,” US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary remarked in a July interview.
