Meat Institute urges US agencies to reject new dietary guidelines

On Tuesday, the Meat Institute released a statement regarding the scientific report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.

“The Meat Institute remains strongly opposed to the report’s recommendation to reduce meat consumption and will urge the agencies to reject it,” said Julie Anna Potts, Meat Institute president and CEO.

“Meat products provide high quality protein that is critical for developing, maintaining, and repairing strong muscles; vital for growth and brain development in children; beneficial for providing satiety and maintaining a healthy weight; and essential to prevent muscle loss in the aged. Including meat and poultry in the diet allows consumers to more easily fulfil their dietary needs for protein, iron, zinc, copper, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and potassium – all of which are nutrients the report has found many Americans are under-consuming.

“For the 95% of Americans who consume meat, the Report’s recommendations are tone deaf and unrealistic. Americans need guidance on how meat fits in a healthy diet. Directives from out-of-touch academics to eat legumes and avoid the nutrient-dense foods they love does not foster improved health and fails to account for the central role of meat within America’s cultural diversity. The report’s recommendations fail to provide attainable nutritional guidance by marginalizing one of the most nutrient dense, accessible, and culturally relevant foods in the American diet.”