In early 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), which the departments call “the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in decades.”1 Updated every five years, the DGA is used by federal agencies, nutrition policy makers, and health professionals to inform and shape nutrition standards nationwide.
While the updated guidelines are largely identical to the 2020 version, the 2026 version emphasizes meat and full-fat dairy products, leading to mixed reviews from health and nutrition experts.2
The guidelines are foundational for government nutritional programs, determining which foods are covered by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), how school lunches are prepared, and are used by clinical nutritionists to help their patients achieve a healthy diet.3 For colleges and universities, the guidelines have direct implications for campus dining, student behaviors around nutrition, and more.
The new guidelines
Consistent with previous DGAs, the updated guidelines carry forward the same recommended servings for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and oils. The biggest deviation from previous guidelines and consensus among nutrition experts is a new emphasis on animal protein sources, including red meat and full-fat dairy products. A central aspect of the update is the inverted food pyramid, which puts protein sources like steak and ground beef, dairy products like whole milk, above whole grains.4 Plant-based proteins were de-emphasized throughout the guidelines.
The DGA calls out an ongoing “war on protein,” advising the public to double the amount of protein recommended in the 2020 document. It places a heavy emphasis on whole and “real food,” including protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains, and reducing highly processed foods and sugary drinks, to reduce chronic disease nationwide.4
How do the guidelines impact college campuses?
The DGA shapes the broader conversation and strategy around nutrition, impacting social programs, standards for school meals, and clinical approaches to nutrition, all of which have direct implications for college campuses.
The DGA informs food procurement, menu design, and standard nutritional practices for institutions, including colleges and universities.5 Dining hall menus will be shaped by the new guidelines – most likely leaning away from “highly processed packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat, or other foods that…have added sugars and sodium,” as stated in the DGA.4 Global consumption of highly processed foods has increased rapidly in recent years, with a growing body of research correlating these foods to negative health outcomes.6
As they balance busy schedules and learn healthy eating habits on their own, college students show especially high rates of consumption of highly processed foods. Research shows that, on average, ultra-processed food makes up nearly 62% of the daily calories of a young adult in the U.S.7 A recent poll from Inside Higher Ed found that nearly 40% of students want their schools to offer fewer ultra-processed food choices, showing that students’ wishes may be aligned with the new guidelines.8 However, school nutrition programs may face challenges in reducing the amount of ultra-processed foods they offer, including limited equipment, funding, and staff capacity.
Over the past decade, college dining halls have offered more plant-based meals and proteins, many of which are lower in fat, cholesterol, and other ingredients that are associated with increased risk of chronic disease.8 Now, with the guidelines’ encouragement to consume more animal-based protein, specifically red meat, campuses may roll back their plant-based options to focus on meat proteins.
How do the guidelines impact college students in the long run?
The DGA influences how the public defines healthy eating, which impacts how students make daily food choices, form nutrition habits, and carry those behaviors into adulthood. The guideline’s emphasis on whole foods over highly processed foods, along with the recommended servings for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and oils, will help students build healthy eating patterns – especially when paired with healthy foods accessible on campus.
Nutrition experts noted concern for the emphasis the guidelines placed on animal products, including red meat, butter, beef tallow, and full-fat products, which could impact students’ lifelong habits. Faculty members of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who served on the DGA Advisory Committee stated in an interview that following these recommendations would make it difficult to stick to the DGA’s recommendation of consuming no more than 10% of daily calories from saturated fat.2 A nutrition expert from UC Berkeley School of Public Health expressed concern for the promotion of red meat and full-fat dairy products as well, highlighting the “vast literature that shows a link between red meat and heart disease as well as several cancers.”9 Research shows that every additional daily serving of red meat is associated with a 13% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease or cancer.10 As these risks accumulate over time, it’s essential for college students to build the most optimal eating habits now to ensure good health in the long run.
The bottom line
The updated guidelines underscore an opportunity for schools to offer more whole-food options for students, aligning with their call for fewer ultra-processed options. However, it also diverges from public health consensus on animal-based protein and full-fat dairy products. For college campuses, the challenge ahead will be translating the guidelines into dining and well-being strategies that are evidence-informed, financially feasible, and supportive of students building healthy habits that last well beyond graduation.
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References
- Kennedy, Rollins Unveil Historic Reset of U.S. Nutrition Policy, Put Real Food Back at Center of Health. (2026, Jan. 7). U.S. Department of Agriculture. Accessed on March 18, 2026. https://www.fns.usda.gov/newsroom/usda-0003.26
- Amy Roeder. (2026, Jan. 8). Understanding the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Accessed on March 18, 2026. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/understanding-the-new-dietary-guidelines-for-americans/
- McKoy, J. (2026, Feb. 7). Decoding the New Federal Dietary Guidelines. BU School of Public Health. Accessed on March 18, 2026. https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2026/decoding-the-new-federal-dietary-guidelines/
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030. (2026, Jan. 7). Accessed on March 18, 2026. https://realfood.gov
- Jahns, L., Davis-Shaw, W., Lichtenstein, A. H., Murphy, S. P., Conrad, Z., & Nielsen, F. (2018). The History and Future of Dietary Guidance in America. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 9(2), 136–147. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmx025
- Global surge in ultra-processed foods sparks urgent health warning. (2025, Nov. 24). ScienceDaily. Accessed on March 18, 2026. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251124025654.htm
- How Much Ultra-Processed Food Are People Eating in the United States? (2025, Aug. 7). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed on March 18, 2026. https://blogs.cdc.gov/nchs/2025/08/07/7825/
- Palmer, K. (2026, Jan. 8). College Dining Halls Embrace Plant-Forward Menus. Inside Higher Ed. Accessed March 18, 2026. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/physical-mental-health/2026/01/08/college-dining-halls-embrace-plant-forward-menus
- Expert Q&A: How the nation’s new dietary guidelines might backfire | UC Berkeley Public Health. (2026, Jan. 21). UC Berkeley Public Health. Accessed on March 18, 2026. https://publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/news/commentary/how-new-dietary-guidelines-might-backfire
- “Association of Changes in Red Meat Consumption with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality Among U.S. Women and Men: Two Prospective Cohort Studies,” Yan Zheng, Yanping Li, Ambika Satija, An Pan, Mercedes Sotos-Prieto, Eric Rimm, Walter C. Willett, Frank B. Hu, BMJ, online June 12, 2019, doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2110.
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