The U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health & Human Services jointly announced that the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) is now available on DietaryGuidelines.gov. The report contains the 2025 DGAC’s (Committee) independent, evidence-based findings and advice to the HHS and USDA. The Scientific Report, alongside public comments and federal agency input, will inform the two departments as they develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030, which is expected to be published in late 2025.

“The Dietary Guidelines serve as the foundation for national nutrition programs, standards and education. They provide health professionals with guidance and resources to assist the public in choosing an overall healthy diet that works for them. And they help HHS, USDA and others in the federal government to tailor our policies to best serve the American people,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said. “This report will help to ensure that the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines is based on current scientific evidence and medical knowledge and that future guidelines factors in socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity and culture. I want to thank the committee for all their hard work, as well as the American people for sharing their voice with us in this process. Together, we can help Americans enjoy a healthy diet and the health benefits that are possible as a result.”

The 2025 DGAC’s work is notable for its intentional focus on health equity to ensure that factors such as socioeconomic position, race, ethnicity and culture were considered to the greatest extent possible. The committee also expanded the scope of evidence reviewed beyond recommended amounts and types of foods to also include strategies to effectively promote healthy dietary patterns across the lifespan.

“USDA and HHS are excited to begin the next phase to develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as we all work together to ensure that children, individuals and families across the country have access to nutritious, safe and affordable food,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “We are appreciative of the independent committee’s scientific expertise, dedication and thoughtful deliberation and collaboration. We are also thankful to the organizations and individuals who submitted public comments and provided an essential voice to the committee’s process, and we look forward to receiving additional public comments on the findings released with this Scientific Report.

The committee’s Scientific Report will be a key resource considered by HHS and USDA as the two departments jointly develop the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the nation’s go-to source for nutrition guidance. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is updated every five years and serves as the cornerstone of federal nutrition programs and policies, providing food-based recommendations to help prevent diet-related chronic diseases and promote overall health.

Public health considerations

In particular, the committee examined scientific evidence on specific nutrition and public health topics and provide independent, science-based advice and recommendations for the departments to take into consideration in forming the next guidelines, according to the Scientific Report.

As in previous reports, the committee zeroed in on consumption of various types of beverages, sources of saturated fat, portion size and meal or snacking frequency, among many others.

The report was shaped by “several significant nutrition-related factors” of concern for Americans, including:

Against this backdrop, the DGAC said it intentionally focused on health equity, which it defines in the report as “the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.”

The report notes that more than half of adults in the U.S. have at least one preventable chronic condition that often is linked to an unhealthy diet.  In addition, food insecurity affects 18 million U.S. households, roughly 17% of which have children, and the likelihood of chronic disease increases as the degree of food insecurity increases. Therefore, “availability and access to nutritious foods and beverages that support healthy living is important for all people in the United States.”

Public input

HHS and USDA will open a 60-day public comment period starting Dec. 11, 2024, and encourage the public to provide written comments on the Scientific Report. The departments announced that they will also hold a public meeting at 1 p.m. (ET) on Jan. 16, 2025, to listen to oral comments from the public on the Scientific Report. Pre-registration is required for the public meeting. More information on the public meeting and comment period is available on DietaryGuidelines.gov.

The Scientific Report is the result of a multiyear process that reflects the commitment HHS and USDA have made to transparency, according to their joint news release. In 2022 HHS and USDA invited members of the public to submit comments on the proposed scientific questions to be examined by the DGAC. In addition, all members of the committee were nominated by the public.

To increase public engagement, live and recorded access to each of the committee’s seven public meetings has been available online via videocast, and HHS and USDA encouraged the public to submit written and oral comments for more than 18 months throughout the committee’s deliberative process. The DGAC received approximately 9,900 public comments, which were used to inform its evidence review and the development of its Scientific Report.

For more information on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and their development, visit DietaryGuidelines.gov.