Advocacy

Dietary Guidelines

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The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) – which provide the basis for federal food and nutrition policy and nutrition education initiatives – are updated and published every five years in a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is a key recommendation of the DGAs as a result of nearly 90 percent of adults having a diet low in fruits and vegetables. 

Specifically, the 2020-2025 DGAs recommend Americans include a variety of vegetables from all of the subgroups—dark green, red and orange, starchy, and legumes (beans, peas, and lentils)—and increase consumption of fruits, especially whole fruits (including fresh-cut).

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While the 2020-2025 DGAs recommendations for fruits and vegetables are relatively similar to the previous guidelines, the current DGAs include, for the first time:

  • Fruit and vegetable exposure and consumption recommendations for children younger than age 2
  • Fruit and vegetable consumption recommendations for pregnant and lactating mothers

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