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US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior has promised to make sweeping changes to US dietary guidelines that he says will transform America almost immediately. In a video published by NTD News on August 4, Kennedy, commonly known as RFK Jr, said the new guidelines will be shorter and more concise than those established under the previous administration of Joe Biden.
RFK Jr, leader of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, claims that the the dietary guidelines inherited from the Biden administration were 453 pages long and “driven by the same commercial impulses that put Fruit Loops at the top of the food pyramid.” He pledged to replace them with a simplified set of recommendations just “four, five, or six pages long,” arguing they would be “understandable” and “will begin to change America almost immediately.”
Read more: RFK Jr Implied Bacon Isn’t Processed – Is He Right?
The facts, according to Dr Matthew Nagra
According to Canadian physician Dr Matthew Nagra, many of Kennedy’s claims don’t survive even a quick fact-check.
- Page count: The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030 are 164 pages long, not 453. “That takes like five seconds to fact-check,” Nagra noted.
- Froot Loops and the food pyramid: The original food pyramid was retired 20 years ago and replaced with MyPlate in 2011. Neither version places sugary cereals like Froot Loops at the top.
- Simplification: The existing guidelines already include a four-page executive summary at the start, with further sections providing science-based advice, statistics, and research. “It almost sounds like he just wants to put out a summary and not have to back it up with evidence or explain the reasoning,” Nagra said. “Wonder why?”
- Impact on public health: Kennedy claimed his streamlined guidelines would “change America almost immediately,” but Nagra disagreed. “People don’t follow the guidelines, which he would know if he actually read the current guidelines document,” he explained, adding that improving Americans’ health requires systemic change, such as making healthy foods more affordable and accessible and reformulating all the processed products that people already consume to be healthier.
Based in Vancouver, Dr Nagra is a naturopathic doctor specializing in plant-based nutrition and chronic disease prevention. He is widely recognized for his evidence-based approach to nutrition and his active presence on social media, where he regularly challenges diet myths and misinformation.
RFK Jr has previously been criticized by a number of experts for other comments regarding nutrition, some of which have little or no scientific backing. He is a notable critic of seed oils, for example, previously saying that people are being “unknowingly poisoned” by their use in fast food. Evidence does not back up this claim. RFK Jr has also promoted raw milk, consumption of which can carry serious health risks.
He is perhaps best known for being a vocal critic of processed foods like cereals, and he has previously stated that “kids shouldn’t be eating grains.” He hasn’t, however, directly criticized processed meat products, many of which are known to carry health risks, and he previous implied that bacon – a known carcinogen – isn’t processed.
How the guidelines are developed
The process of updating the dietary guidelines began under the Biden administration and must be completed by year-end to meet statutory requirements.
Earlier this year, RFK Jr told the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee’s health subcommittee that the new guidelines might be released before August.
The dietary guidelines are written by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). They are updated every five years and aim to promote public health and prevent chronic disease. They provide guidance for school lunch programs, the food industry, state and local governments, and shape food, nutrition, and health programs and policies.
For more reels debunking nutrition misinformation, check out Dr Nagra’s Instagram account.
Read more: Why RFK Jr’s Position On Ultra-Processed Foods Is Problematic
