(Washington D.C.) – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) introduced the Dietary Guidelines Reform Act of 2025, legislation that will amend the National Nutrition Monitoring & Related Research Act of 1990 and modernize the development of federal dietary guidelines with up-to-date, evidence-based nutritional information.
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory (DGAC) Committee makes dietary recommendations for tens of millions of Americans, and this bill will provide more transparency and public input to ensure positive nutrition outcomes for all. DGAC guides recommendations for federal food package programs like the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which has a massive participation of nearly 30 million school children. In addition to advising federal meal programs, the DGAC report also serves as a guide for nutrition education programs such as MyPlate and the Healthy Eating Index.
“Despite decades of Dietary Guidelines for Americans, our citizens have only become sicker and more obese, while taxpayer dollars continue to fund this chaotic and broken process,” Senator Marshall said.“The Dietary Guidelines Reform Act brings much-needed transparency and scientific integrity to the dietary guidelines process, restores public trust, and aims for healthier outcomes by ensuring the recommendations truly serve the American people.”
U.S. Representative Ronny Jackson (R-Texas-13) introduced the House companion version of the bill.
“The Biden administration has weaponized the dietary guidelines to push a partisan agenda instead of sound nutritional science,” Representative Ronny Jackson said. “My bill will ensure these dietary guidelines are based on transparent, evidence-based research – not political ideologies – so Americans can trust they are getting real, science-backed recommendations that support their health and well-being.”
Specifically, the Dietary Guidelines Reform Act of 2025:
- Reforms the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) drafting process and adds transparency by subjecting the report to the federal rulemaking process.
- Expands the DGA report timeline from every fix to every ten years and requires public notice and comment rulemaking to finalize the DGA report.
- Requires members of the DGAC to provide full disclosure of all relevant financial and nonfinancial conflicts of interest.
- Establishes a bipartisan panel of experts to draft scientific questions intended to direct the work of the DGAC as they draft the DGA report.
- Designs dietary guidelines to improve long-term health outcomes and advance nutritional adequacy by addressing current, high-priority health concerns.
Click HERE to read the full bill text.
Background:
- Senator Marshall has long been an advocate for food as medicine, working with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to ensure Americans have improved access to whole, nutrient-dense food.
- Nutrition plays a critical role in long-term health outcomes and in preventing chronic illness, making access to accurate and accessible dietary guidelines vital to Americans’ health.
- America is facing a chronic disease epidemic, with poor diet serving as the primary culprit for obesity, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses.
- Over 60% of Americans have at least one chronic illness, with over 40% suffering from at least two.