Dietary Guidelines Reform Act of 2025

Key Points

• The bill changes how often the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are updated, moving from every 5 years to at least every 10 years. The Secretaries can publish more frequently if new science warrants it.
• A new 8-member Independent Advisory Board would be created to develop scientific questions guiding the guidelines. Four members are appointed by the Secretaries and four by ranking members of the opposite political party from the president, ensuring bipartisan input.
• The guidelines must be based on "significant scientific agreement" through evidence-based review, and each guideline must be rated for strength of evidence. External peer review by nongovernment experts is required.
• The bill explicitly bars the guidelines from covering topics unrelated to dietary guidance, including taxation, social welfare policies, food production practices, socioeconomic status, race, religion, ethnicity, and culture.
• All advisory committee members must disclose financial and nonfinancial conflicts of interest, which will be published publicly within 30 days. This is intended to reduce industry influence over nutrition recommendations.
• The bill allocates $5 million per year for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to carry out the new guidelines process, funded through existing USDA authorities. The 2020 Dietary Guidelines remain in effect until a new report is published under the revised process.

Votes

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