ICYMI: 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Held Third Meeting, Heard Public Oral Comments

On the first day of the meeting, the Committee heard oral comments from 83 members of the public. As part of the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture’s (USDA) ongoing efforts to increase transparency, equity, and public engagement in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Dietary Guidelines) development process, individuals who registered to provide comments were allotted two minutes to speak to the Committee regarding any aspect of their scientific review. Oral comment speakers were approved on a first come, first served basis during registration.

Co-chairs Sarah Booth, PhD and Angela Odoms-Young, PhD opened the second day of the meeting with an update of the Committee’s progress since its last official meeting in May, and progress of their Health Equity Working Group. The remainder of the meeting consisted of presentations from Subcommittee members addressing scientific questions on the following topics: data analysis, food pattern modeling, diet in pregnancy and birth through adolescence, dietary patterns and specific dietary components across life stages, and strategies for individuals and families related to diet quality and weight management. At the conclusion of each Subcommittee member’s presentation, additional time was allowed for questions and broader Committee discussion.

Comprised of 20 nationally recognized nutrition science and public health experts, the Committee provides independent, science-based advice and recommendations to be considered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the development of the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines. Through the end of 2024, the Committee will rigorously review and evaluate all available scientific research and data using three approaches. Upon completion, they will submit their recommendations to HHS and USDA, which will inform the development of the tenth edition of the Dietary Guidelines.

The fourth public meeting of the Committee is scheduled for January 25, 2024. More details on how to view the livestream of Meeting 4 will be made available on DietaryGuidelines.gov in January 2024. The Committee continues to accept written public comments throughout the entirety of its work. More information on how to submit written comments can be found on DietaryGuidelines.gov. Recordings of both days of the third Committee meeting are available online and may be accessed here.