Physicians Committee sues federal agencies over alleged industry-tainted dietary guidelines

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine brought a federal lawsuit accusing the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture of illegally revising the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. According to the complaint, a covert group of scientists, selected by the Trump administration, had strong financial connections to the beef, dairy and egg industries and were given less than three months to produce a review that underpinned the new guidance.

The filing asserts that the agencies breached the Federal Advisory Committee Act by bypassing required transparency and disregarding a prior bipartisan panel that advocated for plant-based eating. The lawsuit asks a judge to invalidate the current guidelines and mandate a new, law-compliant drafting process. The case was reported by one outlet, which noted that the revised guidelines promote saturated fats and reduce recommended fruit and vegetable servings. The plaintiffs argue the changes favor industry interests over public health.