HHS, USDA commit to release of dietary guidelines ahead of Dec. 31 deadline

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have affirmed their commitment to releasing the final Dietary Guidelines for Americans ahead of the Dec. 31 statutory deadline.

USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a March 11 news release that their departments are conducting a “line-by-line” review of the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee released in late 2024.

The National Potato Council has kept close tabs on the every-five-year process. While the committee did not make starchy vegetables interchangeable with grains —  a main concern of industry advocates — it did include the recommendation to eat fewer starchy vegetables.

“We are going to make sure the dietary guidelines will reflect the public interest and serve public health, rather than special interests,” Kennedy said in the release.