National Cattlemens Beef Association- New Dietary Guidelines Emphasize Beef’s Place in a Healthy Diet: Today, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) welcomed the release of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). The updated DGAs nearly double the recommended daily amount for protein intake, increasing it to 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram body weight, depending on your age group and individual caloric needs. The document focuses on building a healthy diet around whole foods, limiting highly processed foods and added sugars, and prioritizing protein at every meal like nutrient-dense beef. Red meat is specifically mentioned as a healthy source of protein in a varied, balanced diet. “As a mom, I understand the importance of eating nutritious wholesome protein and as a rancher, I see the hard work that goes into providing the best possible food for our communities. The updated and simplified Dietary Guidelines will help more families like mine learn the facts about beef’s nutritional value and make the best decisions when they’re shopping for a nutrient-rich, whole, and delicious protein,” said Kim Brackett, an Idaho rancher and NCBA vice president. “Beef provides high amounts of protein plus nine other essential nutrients like iron and B vitamins, and gold-standard clinical studies have consistently shown that it is easy to incorporate beef into a balanced, heart-healthy diet. We appreciate Secretary Rollins and Secretary Kennedy underlining the role of beef as an important part of a healthy diet.” The Dietary Guidelines released today are simplified and more consumer-friendly than previous cycles. The streamlined approach taken by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. keeps science-backed recommendations at the heart of the DGAs, but makes them far more practical for the families, caregivers, school administrators, and medical professionals who are making decisions every day about what to feed our children, seniors and Americans of all ages. Other recommendations in the DGAs include:
- Incorporate beef tallow and other healthy fats into the cooking process.
- Use healthier cooking methods like baking, broiling, roasting, stir-frying, or grilling, all of which can be used with the wide variety of retail beef cuts available to American families.
- Introducing nutrient-dense foods like meat during infancy and early childhood to support growing children.
Although much discussed in recent months, the DGAs do not make any changes to the existing recommendation that saturated fats should not make up more than 10 percent of daily calories. The guidelines do note that healthy fats are a natural part of real foods like meat, and these fats support many important functions in the body like nutrient absorption. “As Americans face the double burden of being overfed and undernourished, they are searching for reliable, affordable solutions to meet their nutritional needs and personal preferences. Thankfully, there are a wide range of beef options in the marketplace,” said Registered Dietitian and nutrition scientist Dr. Shalene McNeill, executive director of nutrition science for NCBA. “On a per-gram basis, beef offers more nutrient value that many other animal and plant options. Incorporating beef in the diet can help support the overall health and well-being for all Americans.”
Oklahoma Cattlemens Association Statement on Release of new Dietary Guidelines: OCA greatly appreciates the return to a focus on whole foods and a science approach to the Dietary Guidelines. The Guidelines emphasize a wholesome balanced diet, incorporating nutrient dense beef which provides protein, healthy fats and essential vitamins and minerals like iron, zinc and B vitamins. The Guidelines also emphasize cooking methods such as grilling, roasting and broiling all of which various cuts of beef can excel. While beef producers welcome these recommendations, consumers are the real winners when they include nutrient dense, healthy and wholesome beef in their balanced diets.
National Chicken Council: The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released today, put a key emphasis on prioritizing high-quality, nutrient-dense protein foods, like chicken, as part of a healthy dietary pattern across all stages of life. The Guidelines also specifically recommend consuming a variety of protein foods from animal sources, including poultry. “It’s abundantly clear that chicken is a lean and affordable protein that can help all Americans across all stages of life meet the new dietary guidelines,” said Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., National Chicken Council senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs. “I want to thank President Trump, and Secretaries Rollins and Kennedy for their leadership in the formulation of the new guidelines. We’re pleased the administration took a science-based and common-sense approach to healthy eating and rejected recommendations put forth by the previous Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) that emphasized plant-based proteins over lean meats like chicken, as evidenced in the new Food Pyramid.” Jointly published by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) every five years, the guidelines are considered a cornerstone of federal nutrition policy and provide recommendations designed to foster healthy dietary patterns for Americans of all ages – from birth through older adults. For the first time, the Guidelines recommend the consumption of healthy fats that are found in many whole foods, such as meat, poultry, eggs, omega 3–rich seafood, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy, olives, and avocados. “Combined with its nutritional value, positive health benefits, popularity, versatility, affordability, and environmental sustainability, chicken is a pillar of the protein subgroup, and we’re pleased that is reflected in the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” Peterson concluded. “Chicken is back at the top of the new Food Pyramid – where it belongs.” NCC’s comments submitted to USDA and HHS in response to the DGAC report can be read by clicking here.
National Milk Producers Federation: From NMPF President & CEO Gregg Doud: “NMPF thanks HHS and USDA for recognizing dairy’s critical role in a healthy diet in the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as shown by its continued recommendation of three servings of dairy for Americans, its recognition of dairy’s benefits at all fat levels, and dairy’s prominence in diverse diets. We are proud to benefit American health in fundamental ways, and we welcome the potential these guidelines hold for expanding upon dairy’s critical role in the diet. “As also shown in the scientific report that preceded today’s guidelines, reducing or eliminating dairy from the diet leads to undernourishment in key nutrients for millions of Americans. These guidelines encourage consumption of dairy nutrients critical to human health. Meanwhile, not all fats are created equal, and because the guidelines acknowledge this, dairy’s benefits are better reflected in this iteration of the guidelines. “Now that the guidelines are out, the federal government will begin applying them across federal programs. We look forward to working with the entire nutrition community to ensure that dairy is best used to generate positive health outcomes for families across America.”
Texas Cattle Raisers applaud new dietary guidelines for Americans: Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association President Carl Ray Polk Jr. released the following statement after the announcement of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and U.S. Secretary Department of Agriculture Brooke Rollins: “Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association applauds the Trump Administration for encouraging Americans to prioritize protein with every meal. Cattle Raisers will continue to produce a highly nutritious protein, ensuring consumers have access to safe, affordable and wholesome beef. Beef provides essential nutrients that support healthy growth and development, and we appreciate dietary guidelines that are grounded in sound science, recognizing the important role animal agriculture plays in nourishing families across our nation.”
Statement from the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association on Federal Nutrition Guidance Emphasizing Protein: The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association welcomes U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ work on updating the Dietary Guidelines for Nutrition guidance for 2025-2030, emphasizing the importance of protein at every meal as a cornerstone of a healthy, balanced diet. This recognition reinforces decades of science and real-world experience showing that high-quality protein plays a vital role in supporting muscle health, growth, and overall nutritional well-being. For American families, clear guidance that values nutrient-dense foods helps support informed choices. For producers, it acknowledges the essential role cattlemen and women play in feeding the nation. “Protein is not optional—it’s foundational,” said Justin Tupper, President of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association. “This guidance affirms what producers and nutrition experts alike have long understood: high-quality protein, especially beef, is critical to human health. America’s cattle producers are proud to provide a safe, and reliable protein source, and the most nutrient-dense product in the meat case for families across the country.” USCA supports nutrition policies grounded in sound science and transparency and will continue advocating for federal guidance that reflects the value of nutrient-dense foods and the producers who responsibly raise them.
Chairman Thompson Applauds New Dietary Guidelines for Americans: “The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans are a step in the right direction, and I applaud Secretary Rollins and Secretary Kennedy for their refocus on real, whole, nutrient-dense foods that fuel our families. I am particularly encouraged to see whole milk and other full-fat dairy products brought back into the recommended diets of Americans, as these wholesome foods play an important role in Making America Healthy Again and have been pushed to the side of nutrition guidelines for too long. “These new guidelines will empower Americans to choose the healthy foods that work best for them, whether fresh, frozen, dried, or canned. When our Dietary Guidelines emphasize putting wholesome, healthy foods on dinner tables, we all win—producers and consumers alike.”
American Soybean Association: Today, the American Soybean Association responded to the release of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2025-2030. The new Guidelines highlight the importance of increased protein consumption, including plant-based proteins such as soy-based foods. They also emphasize prioritizing healthy fats, including oils rich in essential fatty acids like soybean oil. However, the report’s addenda continue to call into question the process of soybean oil extraction, which is scientifically proven to be safe for human health. “Soybean oil and soy protein play a critical role in the health and nutrition of Americans. U.S. soybean farmers are proud to grow a heart-healthy and high-protein crop that can feed the country and the world,” said ASA President and Ohio farmer Scott Metzger. “ASA appreciates that the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans acknowledge the importance of soy as part of a well-balanced diet, but we remain deeply concerned by the rhetoric and selectively cited studies regarding the health and safety of soybean oil in DGA supporting material. We look forward to continuing our work with the administration as we educate MAHA Commission leadership on the health benefits of soy-based foods and soybean oil.” ASA will continue to address claims that disparage the use of soybean oil and promote solutions that are healthy and safe for consumers.
U.S. Pork Producers Pleased New Dietary Guidelines Put Pork Front and Center on Plate: The National Pork Producers Council applauds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s release of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which encourage Americans to “consumer a variety of protein foods from animal sources, including eggs, poultry, seafood, and red meat.” “America’s pork producers appreciate the 2025 Dietary Guidelines putting pork front and center on the plate. They took note of producer concerns and rightly gave pork and other high-protein, nutrient-dense, and delicious meats their due when it comes to Americans’ health and dietary habits,” said Rob Brenneman, NPPC president-elect and pork producer from Washington, Iowa. Quintessentially American foods like pork chops and Easter hams can remain a staple of American households, and the guidelines go so far as to recommend parents introduce nutrient-dense foods including meat early and continue focusing on “nutrient-dense foods such as protein foods” throughout childhood. NPPC has long advocated for sound science, including how the Dietary Guidelines are developed. The “upside down” pyramid released by the administration encourages consumers to feel good about eating and enjoying their protein as part of a healthy, balanced diet, and America’s pork producers are proud to play a part in their wellbeing by providing readily available, affordable, enjoyable pork products. NPPC will continue to review the new guidelines and work with the Trump administration to ensure future food policy decisions serve the health and nutrition interests of the American public and that pork continues to play a vital part.
Statement from USA Pulses in support of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Today, USA Pulses, the leading voice for farmers and processors of American-grown beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas, welcomed the release of the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which continue to recognize the vital role of pulses in a healthy diet. Pulses, the nutritious dry seeds of legumes commonly known as beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas, retain their place as a key source of protein, fiber, and essential nutrients in the new guidelines released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “The new dietary guidelines clearly affirm the essential role of beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas in improving the diets of American families,” said Tim McGreevy, CEO of USA Pulses. “Pulses are nutritional powerhouses that serve double duty as both a protein and vegetable source. The new guidelines’ emphasis on increasing protein and nutrients like fiber makes beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas the perfect choice for families looking to improve their health.” Fewer than 10 percent of Americans consume adequate dietary fiber, which is critical for maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. A growing body of evidence links pulse consumption to reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers. Pulses naturally trigger GLP-1 hormone production that improves satiety and leads to weight loss. “We commend USDA and HHS for recognizing the nutritional strengths of pulses and we look forward to working with them to ensure these American-grown foods make it onto more plates,” McGreevy added. “Increasing consumption of pulse crops will help American farmers and processors across the U.S. at a time when they need strong markets,” said Paul Kanning, board chair of USA Pulses and a pulse farmer in Montana. “By growing and eating more American-grown beans, peas, lentils, and chickpeas, the U.S. can transform public health, boost rural economies, and secure a more resilient future with affordable, wholesome foods that have nourished generations.”
Meat Institute: Dietary Guidelines Recommend Prioritizing Protein from Nutrient Dense Meat & Poultry: The Meat Institute today said the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ core recommendations prioritize consumption of more protein which can be sourced from meat and poultry. “We are pleased the Dietary Guidelines recommend Americans prioritize protein and that families can get that protein from nutrient dense meat and poultry. Secretary Rollins and Secretary Kennedy’s leadership have simplified the Dietary Guidelines making it clear that meat is a protein powerhouse which plays a vital role in healthy diets,” said Meat Institute President and CEO, Julie Anna Potts. “Robust scientific evidence demonstrates that meat is a rich source of high-quality protein, essential vitamins, and highly bioavailable minerals that support human health throughout the lifespan.” The new Guidelines recommend protein serving goals of 1.2–1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, adjusting as needed based on individual caloric requirements. “The Meat Institute and its members will work with policymakers and the Administration to ensure consumers understand that both minimally processed and further processed meat and poultry products are an affordable, accessible, direct, and balanced dietary source of protein, essential amino acids and more.” For more information on nutrition, processing definitions, labeling practices, and ingredient functions of processed meats, see the Meat Institute and Meat Foundation’s “Guide to Meat Processing”.
NCFC Statement on Dietary Guidelines for Americans: “The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives supports the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ continued emphasis on increased consumption of fruits and vegetables in all forms, dairy, and protein. We applaud the recognition of the value of healthy fats as part of a well-balanced diet. These recommendations are grounded in decades of science and reflect the essential role that America’s farmers and cooperatives play in providing nutritious, safe, and affordable food to American families. “As policy makers work to implement the new guidelines, we urge them to ensure that nutrition policy remains firmly rooted in sound science and comprehensive risk-benefit analysis. To that end, we encourage them to further evaluate the science of fortified foods, healthy oils and juices made from fruits and vegetables. America’s farmers and cooperatives stand ready to support dietary guidance that is practical, accessible, and science-driven—and that recognizes the full spectrum of foods that contribute to healthy, balanced diets and a resilient rural economy.”
