The new US dietary guidelines, championed by Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, have placed red meat and cheese above plant-based proteins in the official food pyramid, prompting warnings from health and environmental experts. The revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) prioritise animal-based proteins high in saturated fats, aligning with Kennedy's 'Make America healthy again' movement.
Dr Cheryl Anderson, a board member of the American Heart Association, expressed concern over the visual prominence of steak and cheese over nuts and legumes, despite written advice to limit saturated fat to 10% of calories. 'I think it will be a challenge to keep saturated fat intake within 10% of overall kilocalories. Now, that, to me, is a confusing message for the American public,' she said.
Chloë Waterman of Friends of the Earth criticised the guidelines as contradictory and overly brief—just 10 pages versus hundreds in previous versions. She warned that increased meat consumption would harm the environment, noting that Americans already eat more protein than recommended. 'When we are getting our calories from animal products, we are getting along with that a bunch of deforestation... Beef and lamb especially have really high methane emissions,' she added.
Waterman highlighted the potential impact on school lunches, which must comply with the DGA. She fears that if the US Department of Agriculture interprets the guidelines to allow more meat, it could lead to 'devastating' consequences for children's health and the planet. The guidelines' long-term effect on adult behaviour remains uncertain, but Waterman noted that Americans might embrace eating more meat and dairy.
