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1 [1] (April 10, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/dtygdlnsfan0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service lnforrning the legislative debate since 1914 S April 10, 2025 The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA): Current Status The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) is a set of federally developed recommendations designed to promote health, prevent diet-related chronic disease, and meet nutrient needs. Due to its impact on federal nutrition policy and programs, consumer behavior, and industry practices, the DGA is of interest to public health, nutrition, agriculture, and food industry stakeholders. As mandated by the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-445; 7 U.S.C. §5341), the DGA is jointly issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (HHS and USDA, respectively; hereinafter, the Departments) and must be published at least every five years. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, is the ninth and current edition of the DGA. The multiyear revision process is underway for the 2025-2030 DGA; the final publication is expected by the end of 2025. The Departments alternate serving as the administrative lead for each revision; HHS is the lead for the 2025-2030 DGA. Brief Background Federally issued dietary guidance can be traced back to 1894 when the USDA first issued dietary recommendations to the public. Over time, such guidance has shifted from focusing on nutrition adequacy (i.e., consuming enough nutrients) to reducing the risk of certain chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease), and has evolved from consumer-focused guidance to a policy document for policymakers, health care providers, nutrition educators, and federal nutrition program operators. For additional history, see CRS Report R47488, The Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Development, Implementation, and Considerationsfor Congress. P.L. 101-445 codified the purpose and scope of the DGA, mandating that at least every five years, the Secretaries of HHS and USDA must jointly publish a report titled Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which shall contain nutritional and dietary information and guidelines for the general public, and shall be promoted by each Federal agency in carrying out any Federal food, nutrition, or health program and be based on the preponderance of knowledge which is current at the time the report is prepared. In addition to other populations and age groups covered in the report, the Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-79) required the DGA to include nutrition and dietary guidelines specific to pregnant women and children up until age two starting with the 2020 report. Guideline Development Process The DGA revision process generally consists of four steps: 1. The Departments identify topics and scientific questions. 2. The Departments appoint the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), an external expert group, to evaluate current scientific evidence and submit a Scientific Report to the Secretaries. 3. The Departments develop the new edition of the DGA. 4. The Departments release and implement the DGA with federal, state, and local partners and programs. The 2020-2025 DGA was the first iteration to begin with the Departments establishing topics and scientific questions (Step 1); previously, revisions began with the appointment of the DGAC (currently Step 2). This change was intended to promote a deliberate and transparent process, better define the expertise needed on the Committee, and ensure the scientific review conducted by the Committee would address Federal nutrition policy and program needs and help manage resources. As part of Step 2, the DGAC submits a Scientific Report to the Secretaries of the Departments that summarizes the scientific evidence and presents the DGAC's conclusions and recommendations. The Scientific Report is not a draft of the DGA but rather an independent review of the current state of nutrition science intended to inform the Departments as they develop the DGA (Step 3). The primary audiences of the Scientific Report are the Departments, whereas the primary audiences of the DGA are health professionals, programs, and policymakers. In developing the DGA (Step 3), the Departments draw upon a range of information, including the DGAC Scientific Report, comments from the public and federal agencies, and recommendations from prior DGA editions that may be reconsidered. The draft DGA typically goes through a multistep review and clearance process (e.g., review by federal and external experts, individual agency clearances) and culminates in review and approval by the Secretaries. Once approved, the DGA is released and replaces the previous version (Step 4). The DGA may be further adapted or utilized in other federal resources, including tools like MyPlate, which help consumers implement the DGA, or the Healthy Eating Index, a research tool that evaluates how sets of foods or beverages align with DGA recommendations and assesses diet quality. The DGA does not provide quantitative nutrient requirements or limits (i.e., Dietary Reference Intakes); these requirements are established and updated by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Instead, the DGA uses such requirements (e.g., macronutrient levels) to inform food and beverage recommendations. Current Status of the 2025-2030 DGA The revision process for the 2025-2030 DGA began in 2021 when the Departments undertook a year-long process to develop a list of proposed scientific questions for igross.gov

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