Trump Administration’s "Make America Healthy Again" Commission Aims to Revamp Dietary Guidelines
The newly formed "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) commission, spearheaded by the Trump administration, convened its inaugural meeting on Monday, signaling a potential shift in the federal government’s approach to dietary guidance. The commission is jointly led by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., both appointees of President Trump.
One of the immediate actions stemming from the commission’s formation is a comprehensive review of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which were originally released by the Biden administration the previous year. Both the USDA and HHS have confirmed that they are undertaking a meticulous "line-by-line" examination of the existing guidelines.
Secretary Rollins, in an interview with Fox News Digital, expressed strong support for President Trump’s initiative, stating, "I commend President Trump on his bold leadership to empower Americans to live longer, healthier, more abundant lives." She further emphasized her commitment to collaborating with other members of the Cabinet and leading efforts within the Department of Agriculture to promote healthy choices and positive outcomes for families.
The announcement of the dietary guidelines review coincided with news that the "Make America Healthy Again" movement has successfully influenced policy at the state level, with the first state poised to ban fluoride in drinking water.
A joint press release issued by the USDA and HHS indicated that the revised 2025-2030 dietary guidelines report is expected to be released before the end of the year, adhering to the established timeline. The agencies emphasized the long-standing role of the federal government in providing dietary advice to Americans, built upon scientific advancements in nutrition and health over the past century.
To ensure the integrity and objectivity of the revised guidelines, the agencies pledged to implement "holistic process improvements" aimed at enhancing transparency and minimizing potential conflicts of interest. Secretary Rollins asserted that the 2025-2030 guidelines will be "based on sound science, not political science," signaling a departure from what the administration views as ideologically driven policies of the past. She added, "Gone are the days where leftist ideologies guide public policy," according to the release.
Secretary Kennedy echoed Rollins’ sentiments, describing the update of the dietary guidelines as "a giant step in making America the healthiest country in the world." He pledged to ensure that the revised guidelines reflect the public interest and prioritize public health, rather than catering to special interests. "We are going to make sure the dietary guidelines will reflect the public interest and serve public health, rather than special interests," said Kennedy.
While specific changes to the dietary guidelines have not yet been made public, the existing report from the Biden administration includes oils as part of a healthy dietary pattern, highlighting their role in providing essential fatty acids. The report lists commonly consumed oils such as canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean, and sunflower oils as examples.
However, the MAHA movement has been particularly vocal in its opposition to the use of seed oils in food, advocating instead for the consumption of natural lards such as beef tallow. The existing report advises Americans to limit their intake of "fats high in saturated fat" such as butter, lards, and oils. This discrepancy underscores a potential area of conflict in the upcoming revision of the dietary guidelines.
The announcement of the dietary guideline review follows a meeting between Secretary Kennedy and representatives from major food industry players, including Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Tyson Foods, WK Kellogg Co, The J.M. Smucker Company, and PepsiCo, along with the Consumer Brands Association.
Adding another layer of complexity, Kennedy announced that the HHS will eliminate the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) loophole, which has allowed ingredient manufacturers to introduce new ingredients and chemicals into the U.S. food supply without proper notification to the FDA or the public. This move signifies a potential increase in regulatory oversight of the food industry.
The Food and Drug Administration defines “generally recognized as safe” or GRAS, as a substance that is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use, or unless the use of the substance is otherwise excluded from the definition in section 201(s) of the Act.
The actions taken by the Trump administration through the "Make America Healthy Again" commission and its review of the dietary guidelines have the potential to significantly reshape the landscape of nutrition policy in the United States. The administration is aiming to set in motion their philosophy of what they deem better dietary habits. The influence of the MAHA movement, the focus on "sound science" over "political science," and the commitment to transparency and minimizing conflicts of interest are all indicative of a potential paradigm shift in the government’s approach to promoting public health through dietary guidance.
