ARLINGTON, VA -- Last week, USA Rice provided feedback on behalf of the domestic rice industry regarding
proposed scientific questions that will play a major role in the formulation of the
2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). The DGA focuses on diet and health outcomes across the entire human life span.
The proposed questions fall under three major themes: dietary patterns across life stages, specific dietary pattern components, and strategies related to diet quality and weight management.
“Overall, the specific questions seemed largely favorable to rice, focusing on accessible and minimally processed foods that support healthy eating patterns, but we do have some important questions of our own,” said Byron Holmes, chair of the USA Rice Nutrition Subcommittee.
Holmes said the rice industry is seeking clarification on the definition of “ultra-processed,” and wants to ensure factors related to health equity and nutrition security are incorporated to ensure resulting guidelines are relevant to people with diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds.
The comments also emphasized the importance of whole and refined grains being fundamental to healthy dietary patterns and stressed that at least one member of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee should have experience in food processing and manufacturing.
“We reminded the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Health & Human Services of our involvement in creation of DGA documents in the past,” said Holmes. “We will continue to promote, advocate, and inform the federal agencies of all the nutritional benefits associated with rice consumption to ensure that rice remains an integral part of recommended eating patterns and healthy diets at every level.”
Following the finalization of the scientific questions, the departments will then move on to the nomination and selection of members to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee that will oversee the creation process.