Food Reform for Effective and Sustainable Health (FRESH) Act of 2026

Key Points

• This bill would require Congress to vote on and approve future dietary guidelines before they take effect. Currently, the Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services publish updated guidelines every five years on their own authority. Under this change, they would instead submit proposed guidelines to Congress for approval.
• The bill locks in the current 2025-2030 dietary guidelines issued on January 7, 2026. These guidelines cannot be changed or replaced unless Congress passes a new law, preventing any future administration from unilaterally altering them.
• Future dietary guidelines would only take effect if Congress passes them into law. This shifts decision-making power from federal health and agriculture agencies to elected lawmakers, adding a political layer to what has been a science-driven process.
• The dietary guidelines shape a wide range of federal nutrition programs, including school meal standards, the WIC supplemental food program, SNAP nutrition education, and food labeling requirements. Any delay or politicization of future updates could ripple across these programs.