A US medical organisation that promotes plant-based eating has taken legal action against the government over the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine claims the 2025-2030 guidelines were influenced by a “secret panel of food-industry insiders”.
In its complaint, the group alleges that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) breached the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).
The guidelines, intended to “Make America Healthy Again”, were published in January this year. Some stakeholders welcomed their recommendation that consumers reduce their intake of highly processed foods and added sugars.
However, the food pyramid’s presentation of protein, dairy and healthy fats at the top, alongside fruit and vegetables, prompted criticism. Opponents argued that the format encouraged consumption of animal-based foods, including meat, which has been associated with heart disease.
The Washington-based Physicians Committee had already petitioned HHS and USDA in January to withdraw the recommendations, citing “unlawful industry influence”.
The latest lawsuit alleges that the agencies moved away from the established Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) process. Instead, it claims they appointed a “hastily assembled” nine-member panel whose composition was not made public until the day the guidelines were released.
The complaint states that eight members of the panel had links to organisations such as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Dairy Council, the American Egg Board, the National Pork Board and the low-carbohydrate diet industry.
Physicians Committee president Neal Barnard said: “The government allowed the meat and dairy industries to ghostwrite the Dietary Guidelines. They put money in industry’s pocket and cholesterol in Americans’ arteries.”
The organisation said the process also disregarded recommendations issued by the DGAC’s 20 nutrition specialists in December 2024. Those experts called for a greater emphasis on plant-based meals, including beans and other plant proteins instead of animal protein, and recommended water over milk.
The guidelines have also been challenged by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. In January, the organisation said advice to prioritise animal protein, butter and full-fat dairy was “at best, confusing, and, at worst, harmful”.
The Physicians Committee is asking the court to revoke the guidelines and block HHS and USDA from relying on them in future policy decisions until a replacement is created.
