Getting the New Dietary Guidelines for Americans Right

You may have seen or heard of “MyPlate” – a tool created by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) to help us eat balanced meals that include all five food groups in the right proportions. The easy-to-identify graphic of a plate divided into sections representing different food groups can help support healthy eating habits. MyPlate is based on the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines.

Every five years, USDA and HHS publish new Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines provide recommendations based on current scientific evidence to improve health outcomes and, by law, serve as the cornerstone of federal food and nutrition programs and policies. They are designed to drive down chronic diseases and promote better health among Americans of all ages.

The process to create the new 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines is currently underway. As the first step in the process, USDA and HHS identified research topics and questions for scientific review and public input. With support from federal staff, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), a committee of independent experts, reviews the evidence to respond to the research questions and hosts a series of public meetings on their process and findings. Public comments are strongly encouraged during this phase.

Earlier this month, BPC submitted written comments on three key components on the guidelines and the revision process. First, BPC expressed concern that the current review process will lead the committee to base its recommendations solely on the systemic reviews conducted by the Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review staff at USDA without considering systematic reviews conducted by researchers and experts outside of the federal government. Second, BPC suggested that the DGAC provide recommendations based on the best available evidence and for topics which there is insufficient evidence, the DGAC should make specific recommendations for further research. Finally, BPC highlighted the federal policy implications of the guidelines. In developing the Dietary Guidelines, the DGAC should acknowledge and address that the environment in which we live impacts people’s abilities to make healthy choices.

BPC supports the efforts of USDA, HHS and the Advisory Committee to update these important guidelines to improve Americans’ diets and health and will continue to provide comments as they are revised. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s scientific report, which will inform the upcoming 2020-2025 guidelines, is expected to be released this spring.