The United States federal nutrition wheels are turning—and they could either drive us closer to climate catastrophe or prevent millions of tons of greenhouse gas pollution a year.
The Dietary Guidelines Scientific Advisory Committee, which provides independent, science-based advice to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), just released a scientific report that will guide the development of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The Trump-Vance administration campaigned on a promise to tackle chronic disease. Now is their chance. And sustainable dietary guidelines are critical to making that happen.
Sustainable, plant-rich diets are intrinsically beneficial to human nutrition, disease prevention, health equity, and food system security. They’re also critical to reducing our greenhouse gas footprint. The advisory committee report doesn’t directly address sustainability and it’s almost certain to be left off the table by the next administration. That’s a huge mistake.
The scientific report does, however, prioritize plant-based protein sources such as beans, peas, and lentils, recommending they be moved above animal protein in the protein category. It also recommends reducing red and processed meat consumption and de-emphasizing meat, poultry, and eggs.
While these recommendations were included as part of a health equity lens, particularly the prevention of major chronic diseases, they are also consistent with a healthy and sustainable dietary pattern.
According to a recent analysis the Center for Biological Diversity conducted, the USDA’s child nutrition programs (including the National School Lunch Program), which must align with the dietary guidelines, serve about 9 billion meals per year. Small changes to the guidelines could have a big environmental impact.
If two-thirds of those meals made changes consistent with the scientific report like replacing beef tacos with bean tacos, total greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by 65 percent—the equivalent of taking 4.2 million gas-powered cars off the road for one year.
If two-thirds of those meals switched from chicken stir fry to tofu stir fry, for example, planet-warming emissions would drop 59.3 percent—the equivalent of growing more than 46 million trees over the course of 10 years. And if two-thirds of meals offered soy milk instead of cow’s milk, emissions would go down over 50 percent—the equivalent of recycling nearly 42 million bags of waste.
The dietary guidelines influence the annual spending of tens of billions of dollars and the serving of billions of meals through federal food assistance and nutrition programs. They also guide food procurement and food services activities across all federal agencies, including the military. And they shape nutrition policies created by state and local governments, as well as the nutrition guidance provided to American healthcare providers and their patients.
Now imagine making incremental changes like these across the countless federal, state, and local agencies that deal with food and nutrition in this country.
These critically needed dietary shifts aren’t just about the climate emergency; they’re also about food security and public health. The negative effects of our unsustainable food system—including more frequent and destructive severe weather, desertification of land, pollution of air and water, biodiversity loss, and reductions in the diversity and key nutrients of crops—all make it much more difficult to grow food and increase risks to our health and safety.
Animal products tend to be higher in calories, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, and low in complex carbohydrates and fiber—all characteristics directly responsible for high rates of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. The 2025 advisory committee thoroughly examined and acknowledged this evidence in its recommendations to reduce red and processed meats. Animal-based food production is also responsible for many foodborne illnesses, including zoonotic diseases and bacterial infections, along with hormone-caused issues and increased antibiotic resistance.
Plant-based foods tend to have the opposite effects. They are nutrient- and fiber-dense and they’re associated with lower mortality overall. And sustainable, plant-based diets support agricultural systems that are better for the long-term resilience of our food system, and therefore our survival. The advisory committee knows this, and past committees noted the association between sustainability, food security, and human health.
If our government continues to cater to industry instead of addressing the role of climate change in our diets and food system, these threats will only get worse.
But the new iteration of the dietary guidelines hasn’t been written yet, and there’s still a chance to make the changes needed to support a healthy, resilient food system.
The committee report’s comment period is open now through early February and the public can submit comments calling on the federal government to integrate sustainability considerations into the 2025 guidelines. It’s critical that we all speak up to protect our health and food security.
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Photo courtesy of Farhad Ibrahimzad, Unsplash
