New Meat-Heavy Dietary Guidelines on Increasingly Shaky Ground

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released on Jan. 7, 2026, face an increasingly uncertain future. On Aug. 19, 2026, the Physicians Committee filed a federal lawsuit for the withdrawal of the Guidelines, citing conflicts of interest among eight of the nine authors of the Guidelines. 

Calley Means, an architect of the Trump Administration’s Guidelines resigned on Oct. 22, citing frustration with policy inaction.

On Nov. 9, the American Medical Association adopted a new policy, calling for “strengthened transparency, disclosure, and management of financial and non-financial conflicts of interest in the development of federal dietary guidelines and related scientific reports, including clear public reporting and exclusion of individuals with significant financial or industry-related conflicts of interest from decision-making roles.”

The Guidelines promote increased intake of protein and saturated fat, contradicting scientific evidence showing that Americans already consume excess protein and that saturated fat drives up cholesterol levels.

“The meat-heavy Guidelines are circling the drain,” said Physicians Committee President Neal D. Barnard, MD, FACC. “They need to be replaced with healthful guidelines promoting vegetables, fruits, and a healthful plant-based diet.”