WASHINGTON, D.C. – The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released today, put a key emphasis on prioritizing high-quality, nutrient-dense protein foods, like chicken, as part of a healthy dietary pattern across all stages of life. The Guidelines also specifically recommend consuming a variety of protein foods from animal sources, including poultry.
“It’s abundantly clear that chicken is a lean and affordable protein that can help all Americans across all stages of life meet the new dietary guidelines,” said Ashley Peterson, Ph.D., National Chicken Council senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs. “I want to thank President Trump, and Secretaries Rollins and Kennedy for their leadership in the formulation of the new guidelines. We’re pleased the administration took a science-based and common-sense approach to healthy eating and rejected recommendations put forth by the previous Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) that emphasized plant-based proteins over lean meats like chicken, as evidenced in the new Food Pyramid.”
Jointly published by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) every five years, the guidelines are considered a cornerstone of federal nutrition policy and provide recommendations designed to foster healthy dietary patterns for Americans of all ages – from birth through older adults.
For the first time, the Guidelines recommend the consumption of healthy fats that are found in many whole foods, such as meat, poultry, eggs, omega 3–rich seafood, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy, olives, and avocados.
“Combined with its nutritional value, positive health benefits, popularity, versatility, affordability, and environmental sustainability, chicken is a pillar of the protein subgroup, and we’re pleased that is reflected in the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” Peterson concluded. “Chicken is back at the top of the new Food Pyramid – where it belongs.”
NCC’s comments submitted to USDA and HHS in response to the DGAC report can be read by clicking here.
