Physician Group Sues Trump Administration Over Dietary Guidelines | Civil Eats
Physician Group Sues Trump Administration Over Dietary Guidelines | Civil Eats
Physician Group Sues Trump Administration Over Dietary Guidelines
The lawsuit alleges the Trump administration violated federal law with a ‘secret panel’ when it established the latest guidelines.
August 19, 2026
August 19, 2026 –A physicians group is asking a federal court to order the Trump administration to withdraw its Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), arguing it violated federal law by relying on a “secret panel” for scientific evidence
Unlock the Full Story with a Civil Eats Membership
Expand your understanding of food systems as a Civil Eats member. Enjoy unlimited access to our groundbreaking reporting, engage with experts, and connect with a community of changemakers
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit organization that supports plant-based diets, filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenging the legality of the latest dietary guidelines
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are tasked with co-writing the guidelines every five years. The latest iteration was published under the Trump administration in January this year, along with a new, inverted food pyramid
The DGA process is complex. The final guidelines are supported by recommendations and a scientific report completed by an independent advisory committee
For the latest version, the original advisory committee met over the course of two years, concluding its work before the end of the Biden administration. Their scientific report prioritized plant-based proteins over animal products
However, the latest DGAs emphasize animal proteins and dairy products, contradicting many of the recommendations in the advisory committee’s report. Instead, the DGAs were backed by a separate report, completed by a panel of researchers with ties to the beef and dairy industries. Unlike the original committee, this second panel’s work was not open to the public
The lawsuit argues that HHS and the USDA violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) by relying on this second panel for scientific evidence. The law was created to limit industry and special interest influence in federal advisory committees, and it sets parameters for transparency, like requiring meetings to be open to the public
“The government allowed the meat and dairy industries to ghostwrite the Dietary Guidelines,” Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee, said in a press release. “They put money in industry’s pocket and cholesterol in Americans’ arteries.”
We’ll bring the news to you
Get the weekly Civil Eats newsletter, delivered to your inbox
Sign up today
Sign up today
The physician group has asked the court to require agencies to share documents and minutes related to the second panel’s work. It also asks the court to order the withdrawal of the current DGAs and prevent agencies from relying on these guidelines in future decisions
Already, the administration has used the DGAs as the basis for more informal action, like a voluntary pledge for hospitals and schools to implement the guidelines in meals. But the USDA is also in the process of crafting new school meal nutrition standards based on the guidelines
This is not the first time the physicians group has sued over dietary guidelines. In 2023, a federal judge dismissed the group’s lawsuit over the 2020 DGAs for a lack of standing. (Link to this post.)
More from
Food Policy Tracker
FDA Finalizes New Way to Assess Risks of Antibiotics in Animal Agriculture
By Lisa Held
August 13, 2026
New GRAS Rule Falls Short on Food-Additive Safety, Consumer Advocates Say
By Rebekah Alvey
August 10, 2026
2026 Farm Bill Fails to Advance Out of Senate Agriculture Committee
By Lisa Held
August 10, 2026
Congress Moves Forward on Two Food Labeling Bills
By Rebekah Alvey
July 31, 2026
Featured
Civil Eats Sets Its Strategic Vision Through 2028
By Naomi Starkman
August 19, 2026
As we near our 20th anniversary, our new strategic plan sets a clear path of continued, sustained, and measurable success
Op-ed: Worried About an Outbreak? Try a Shorter Food Supply Chain
By Judith Redmond
August 19, 2026
Op-ed: Worried About an Outbreak? Try a Shorter Food Supply Chain
By Judith Redmond
August 19, 2026
For Solutions to the Bee Crisis, Look to Farms
By Elena Valeriote
August 18, 2026
In Remote Alaska, the Promise and Limits of Vertical Farming
By Molly McCluskey
August 17, 2026
Popular
Tick Populations Surge as the Climate Warms, and Farmers Bear the Brunt
By Meg Wilcox
August 13, 2026
Op-ed: The Privatization of Prison Food Is Selling Nutrition to the Lowest Bidder
By Amelia Keleher, Daniel Rosen and Leslie Soble
August 12, 2026
In These Orchards, Fruit Has All But Disappeared This Year
By Lisa Held
August 11, 2026
How Everyone Pays the Cost for Patents on Seeds, and Private Companies Get Rich From Keeping Them Secret
By Julie Dawson, Kiki Hubbard and Paulina Jenney, The Conversation
August 10, 2026
‘;
userWithoutSessionInfo.classList.add(‘wk-user-update-info’);
userWithoutSessionInfo.insertAdjacentHTML(‘beforeend’, infoBlock);
authForm.parentNode.insertBefore(userWithoutSessionInfo, authForm);
authForm.style.display = ‘none’;
document.addEventListener(‘click’, hideUserWithoutSessionInfo);
}
signInSubmitSpinner.style.display = ‘none’;
return true;
}); window.wk.events.subscribe(“success-auth”, function ({register}) {
let userWithoutSessionInfo = document.querySelector(‘.wk-user-update-info’);
if(userWithoutSessionInfo) {
hideUserWithoutSessionText();
}
if (register) {
subscribeSignUpNewsletters();
const extra_groups = [];
/** Location data */
extra_groups.push({
group_key: “signup-info”,
field_key: “signup-location”,
field_value: window.location.href
});
/** UTM data */
let utm_data = getUTMdata();
if (utm_data.length>0) {
utm_data.forEach(item => {
extra_groups.push({
group_key: “signup-info”,
field_key: item[0],
field_value: item[1]
});
})
}
/** saving data: */
window.wk.sdk.methods.client.put({
path: ‘/user/extra/data’,
data: {
extra_groups: extra_groups
}
}).catch(error => {
console.log(error.response.error, ‘error’);
});
}
});
async function subscribeSignUpNewsletters() {
let tags = {
598: true
}
await window.wk.sdk.methods.client.put({
path: ‘/integrations/activecampaign/user/tags’,
data: {
tags: tags
}
}).then(function (response) {
console.log(‘SUBSCRIPTION SUCCESS’, response);
}).catch(function () {
console.log(‘SUBSCRIPTION ERROR’);
});
}
function getUTMdata() {
let query = window.location.search.substring(1);
let vars = query.split(‘&’);
let utm_data = [];
for (let i = 0; i < vars.length; i++) {
let pair = vars[i].split(‘=’);
pair.forEach((item, index) => {
try {
pair[index] = decodeURIComponent(item);
} catch (e) {
}
});
if (pair[0] === ‘utm’ || pair[0].startsWith(‘utm_’)) {
utm_data.push(pair);
}
}
return utm_data;
}
window.wk.events.subscribe(‘wk-event-checkout-success’, function (value) {
const extra_groups = [];
/** Location data */
extra_groups.push({
group_key: “payment-info”,
field_key: “payment-location”,
field_value: window.location.href
});
/** UTM data */
let utm_data = getUTMdata();
if (utm_data.length>0) {
utm_data.forEach(item => {
extra_groups.push({
group_key: “payment-info”,
field_key: item[0],
field_value: item[1]
});
})
}
/** saving data: */
window.wk.sdk.methods.client.put({
path: ‘/user/extra/data’,
data: {
extra_groups: extra_groups
}
}).catch(error => {
console.log(error.response.error, ‘error’);
});
});
}
});
function hideUserWithoutSessionInfo(e) {
switch(e.target.id) {
case ‘auth-signup-link’:
case ‘auth-modal-close-btn’:
case ‘auth-modal-wrapper’:
case ‘auth-password-link’:
hideUserWithoutSessionText();
break;
}
if(e.target.classList.contains(‘wk-form-button’)) {
hideUserWithoutSessionText();
}
}
function hideUserWithoutSessionText() {
let userWithoutSessionInfo = document.querySelector(‘.wk-user-update-info’);
let authForm = document.querySelector(‘#wk-email-auth-form’);
document.removeEventListener(‘click’, hideUserWithoutSessionInfo);
userWithoutSessionInfo.remove();
authForm.style.display = ‘block’;
let authFormHeaderError = document.querySelector(‘#wk-email-auth-form .wk-form .wk-form-header .wk-form__error’);
if(authFormHeaderError) {
authFormHeaderError.style.display = ”;
}
} function wkSignInButtonModify() {
let menuSignInButtons = document.querySelectorAll(‘.wkwp-user-my-account-button’);
if (menuSignInButtons.length > 0) {
menuSignInButtons.forEach(element => {
element.classList.remove(‘wkwp-user-my-account-button’, ‘wk-call’, ‘wk–sign-in’);
element.classList.add(‘custom-wkwp-user-my-account-button’);
});
}
document.addEventListener(‘click’, (e) => {
if (e.target.classList.contains(‘wallkit-sign-in-cta’) || e.target.classList.contains(‘custom-wkwp-user-my-account-button’)) {
e.preventDefault();
if (typeof window.wk.authentication !== ‘undefined’ && window.wk.authentication.isAuthenticated()) {
// user authenticated
} else {
window.wk.authentication.show(‘sign-in’);
}
}
});
}
function wkShowUserStatus() {
let wkSettings = window[“wallkitSettings”] || {};
let wkCallClass = wkSettings.integration.call.classForHandleClick || ‘wk-call’;
let wkTranslations = window[“wallkitTranslations”] || {};
const accountStatusSpanEls = document.querySelectorAll(‘.custom-wkwp-user-my-account-button’);
if (!accountStatusSpanEls.length) {
return;
}
if (window.wk.authentication.isAuthenticated()) {
if (accountStatusSpanEls.length > 0) {
accountStatusSpanEls.forEach(element => {
element.innerHTML = wkTranslations.my_account || ‘My Account’;
element.classList.add(wkCallClass, ‘wk–account-settings’);
element.style.display = ‘block’;
});
}
} else {
if (accountStatusSpanEls.length > 0) {
accountStatusSpanEls.forEach(element => {
element.classList.remove(wkCallClass, ‘wk–account-settings’);
element.innerHTML = wkTranslations.sign_in || ‘Sign in’;
element.style.display = ‘block’;
});
}
}
let topSignIn = document.querySelector(‘header nav .wrapper-menu-buttons .custom-wkwp-user-my-account-button’);
if(topSignIn) {
topSignIn.style.display = ‘inline-block’;
}
}
async function updateUserInfo() {
if (window.wk.authentication.isAuthenticated()) {
if (!window.wk.sdk.methods.user.email) {
await window.wk.sdk.methods.client.get({
path: ‘/user’
})
.then((responce) => {
if (responce.id > 0 && responce.id === window.wk.sdk.methods.user.id) {
window.wk.sdk.methods.user = responce;
}
}, (error) => {
console.log(‘ERROR:’, error);
});
}
}
}
async function setWisepopsArgs() {
if (window.wk.authentication.isAuthenticated()) {
wisepops(“properties”, {
firstName: window.wk.sdk.methods.user.first_name,
lastName: window.wk.sdk.methods.user.last_name,
authentication: true,
plan: window.wk.sdk.methods.user.subscriptions[0].plan.title,
priceTier: window.wk.sdk.methods.user.subscriptions[0].title
});
}
}
function wkCheckPostAccess() {
if (typeof window.wallkitPostData.config !== “undefined”
&& typeof window.wallkitPostData.data.type !== “undefined”
&& window.wallkitPostData.data.type === ‘post’
&& typeof window.wallkitPostData.data !== “undefined”
&& typeof window.wallkitPostData.data.id !== “undefined”
&& window.wallkitPostData.data.id !== ”
) {
const postInfo = window.wallkitPostData.data;
const wkPost = new window.wk.content(postInfo);
const postContentWrapper = document.querySelectorAll(“.wrapper-content-story .row > *”);
let topElement = document.querySelector(“#pico .wrapper-content”);
let paragraphs = topElement.querySelectorAll(‘.wrapper-content-story .post-single-left p’);
// let wkContentAfterEls = document.querySelectorAll(“.wrapper-content-story .row .post-single-left .post-simple“);
if (!topElement || !paragraphs.length) {
return;
}
wkPost.checkAccess().then((response) => {
if (!response.allowed) {
let showParagraphs = paragraphs.length > 2 ? 2 : paragraphs.length – 1;
var paragraphsHTML = ”;
for (var i = 0; i <= showParagraphs; i++) {
paragraphsHTML += `
` + paragraphs[i].innerHTML + `
`;
}
showWKPaywall(topElement, paragraphsHTML);
if (postContentWrapper.length) {
postContentWrapper.forEach((e) => {
if (!e.classList.contains(‘sidebar-right’)) {
e.classList.add(‘wk-content-paywall’);
}
});
}
let paywallBlockLoginLink = document.querySelector(‘.wallkit-paywall-block__login_plans’);
if (paywallBlockLoginLink) {
if (window.wk.authentication.isAuthenticated()) {
paywallBlockLoginLink.style = “display:none;”;
} else {
paywallBlockLoginLink.style = “display:block;”;
}
}
} else {
if (postContentWrapper.length) {
postContentWrapper.forEach((e) => {
if (!e.classList.contains(‘sidebar-right’)) {
e.classList.remove(‘wk-content-paywall’);
}
});
}
let wkPaywallBlock = document.querySelector(“.wkwp-paywall-block-wrapper”);
if (wkPaywallBlock) {
wkPaywallBlock.parentNode.removeChild(wkPaywallBlock);
}
}
if (postContentWrapper) {
postContentWrapper.forEach((e) => {
if (!e.classList.contains(‘sidebar-right’)) {
e.classList.add(‘wk-content-active’);
}
});
}
}).catch((error) => {
console.log(‘!! wkPost ERROR’, error);
});
}
}
function showWKPaywall(contentNode, paragraphsHTML) {
let wkSettings = window[“wallkitSettings”] || {};
let paywallBlockContent = document.querySelector(“.wkwp-paywall-block-wrapper”);
if (!paywallBlockContent) {
paywallBlockContent = document.createElement(‘div’);
paywallBlockContent.classList.add(‘wkwp-paywall-block-wrapper’, ‘wrapper-content’, ‘wrapper-content-story’);
paywallBlockContent.insertAdjacentHTML(‘beforeend’, `${paragraphsHTML} ${wkSettings.config.paywall.content}
`);
contentNode.parentNode.insertBefore(paywallBlockContent, contentNode);
}
}
})();
var bl_wkuser = window?.Wallkit?.user;
var wisepopsProperties = {};
if (bl_wkuser) {
wisepopsProperties = {
WKemail: bl_wkuser.email,
WKactive: bl_wkuser.active,
WKFirstName: bl_wkuser.first_name,
WKLastName: bl_wkuser.last_name,
WKSubscription: bl_wkuser.subscriptions.length
};
}
wisepops(“properties”, wisepopsProperties);
