Public health groups have raised concerns that the Trump administration may reverse course on saturated fats, despite scientific evidence linking these fats to negative health outcomes.
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Public health groups have raised concerns that the Trump administration may reverse course on saturated fats, despite scientific evidence linking these fats to negative health outcomes.
September 25, 2025
September 25, 2025 – Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins gave a glimpse inside the upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans Thursday, saying the recommendations will boost demand for U.S. beef and whole milk.
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Rollins spoke at the Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, which was hosted by Agri-Pulse Communications and the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City. She discussed a number of issues farmers are facing, ranging from trade and biofuels to New World Screwworm. In discussing low domestic cattle inventory, she also said the upcoming Dietary Guidelines will push the market for beef, protein, and whole milk.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are tasked with writing the 2025-2030 iteration of the guidelines. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his supporters in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement have been critical of past versions of the guidelines, which help shape federal nutrition and assistance programs—particularly over levels of industry influence. MAHA supporters have also backed beef tallow over seed oils and promoted high-meat diets. Food and Drug Commissioner Martin Makary has even gone as far as saying the administration is going to end the “war” on saturated fats.
The recommendations released at the end of the Biden administration from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, an independent panel of nutrition experts, suggested swapping in beans, peas, and lentils instead of red meat. Overall the panel’s recommendations push for plant protein over animal protein, particularly red and processed meats.
In June, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and several public health groups wrote a letter to both secretaries urging them to follow the scientific evidence, which links saturated fat with negative health outcomes, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
But Rollins’ comments Thursday suggest what many in the consumer health space have feared: that the administration plans to switch directions and promote more saturated-fat consumption through the guidelines.
It’s yet to be seen whether the guidelines will also recommend beef tallow over seed oils. On Thursday, also at the Ag Outlook Forum, one vocal MAHA supporter, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), broke with Kennedy on the issue. He said he wants to see more independent, reproducible science on seed oils but did not think the ingredient itself was an issue.
“As far as I know, there’s nothing unhealthy about seed oils,” Marshall said.. “I don’t think it’s the seed oil [that] is the problem with the ultra-processed food. I think it’s the salt and the sugar, the preservatives in them, that’s the real problem.”
While initially both secretaries suggested the Dietary Guidelines would be released by the end of the summer, that deadline has been pushed back, with Rollins now saying the guidelines are coming “very shortly.” The statutory deadline is the end of 2025.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced that former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson would join the USDA as a nutrition, healthcare, and housing advisor. His focus will be implementing the MAHA agenda at the agency, according to the USDA. Carson has backed some MAHA policies like phasing out synthetic dyes as well as state waivers restricting using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for soda.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Rollins said Carson is going to play a “major role” in shaping the Dietary Guidelines as well. (Link to this post).
September 24, 2025
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