Dietary Guidelines, Sustainability Summit Report & More

Dear Friend, 

Dairy Council of California continues to engage health professionals, educators, community leaders and more to elevate the health of children and communities through lifelong healthy eating patterns. Below are some regulatory updates that may impact the dairy community, as well as highlights of recent efforts to educate and advocate on the health benefits of milk and dairy foods.  

Update on Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Public Meeting No. 5

The fifth meeting of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) was held on May 29–30, 2024. Updates on the latest progress, including new, revised and deprioritized protocols, as well as new draft conclusion statements, were shared. In addition, the Health Equity working group detailed how health equity is being integrated across the evidence review process.

Here are some key takeaways, including those relevant to dairy foods:

• New data shows that most Americans are far from meeting Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations, and health status is worsening. Underconsumption of vitamin D, calcium, potassium and dietary fiber and overconsumption of sodium, added sugars and saturated fat persist, making these top nutrients of public health concern for Americans over age 1.
• Several potential modifications to the Healthy U.S.-Style Dietary Pattern have been identified. Modifications under exploration include reducing daily serving recommendations for Dairy and Fortified Soy Alternatives. Changes being explored for other food groups include total protein, total grains and subgroups for dark green vegetables and beans/peas/lentils. These modifications are not final yet.
• DGAC discussed enabling flexibilities across food groups, including substituting plant-based alternatives such unsweetened almond or oat beverages in the Dairy and Fortified Soy Alternatives group, using starchy vegetables in place of grains, and adding seafood as a choice in the Healthy Vegetarian Dietary Pattern.
  
• A separate vegan dietary pattern will not be developed. DGAC will examine the nutritional impacts of diets that remove animal-sourced foods to provide a blueprint for Americans following this type of diet, but findings will not be used to develop a new dietary pattern or modify existing dietary patterns.
  
• Compared to the previous Dietary Guidelines conclusions, DGAC downgraded the importance of dairy foods as part of dietary patterns that benefit cardiovascular health outcomes. This adjustment was made because many race/ethnicity studies reviewed by DGAC did not isolate low-fat dairy specifically.
  
• The 2025 draft conclusion notes that dietary patterns for adults and older adults that are lower in high-fat dairy are favorable for lowering type 2 diabetes risk. This remains consistent with the previous guidelines, but the evidence’s strength for this conclusion increased from moderate to strong.

The release of the new and revised protocols is expected soon. Dairy Council of California continues to engage throughout the Dietary Guidelines process, translating dairy nutrition science that advocates for milk and dairy foods’ role in healthy eating patterns. In March, Dairy Council of CA submitted public comments to the DGAC in response to the Food Pattern Modeling Protocols, and it will continue to provide evidenced-based information on the numerous health benefits of dairy. You can add your voice as well. Public comments to the DGAC are due by October 2024 (Docket HHS-OASH-2022-0021). 

California Dairy Sustainability Summit Nourishing People and Planet Executive Summary Released

On March 25, 2024, the California Dairy Sustainability Summit 2024 planning team facilitated pre-conference events, including guided tours of University of California, Davis research labs and a dinner dialogue with diverse dairy and nutrition stakeholders. The focus of the pre-conference was on dairy’s role in sustainable nutrition, emphasizing a holistic approach to sustainability. The event highlighted dairy’s contributions to human nutrition, the environment and the economy, while exploring innovations and challenges in the industry.

Read and download the full report here.

Here are key activities and outcomes from the pre-conference:

Sustainable Nutrition Defined:

• Providing accessible, affordable, nutrient-dense foods that preserve environmental resources and support local communities.
  

University of California, Davis Tour Topics:

• Barile/Bell Milk Processing Lab: Spotlighting research on fractionation and recovery of bioactive milk components to transform dairy waste streams into functional foods.
  
• Mitloehner/Kebreab Livestock Methane Evaluation Lab: Sharing experiments on feed additives to reduce enteric methane emissions and the role of breed genetics in methane reduction.
  

Dinner Dialogue Themes:

• Nutrition and Culture: There is need for culturally responsive dairy products, education on the importance of dairy in school meals, assistance with consumer information overload and solutions for lactose intolerance.
  
• Environment and Economy: There is continued need for government support for sustainability innovations, market incentives for environmental protection, focus on water quality issues and innovative packaging opportunities.
  
• Interconnections: Prioritizing communication and collaboration within the dairy industry and with new allies will be critical.
  

Implications:

• There is need for continued government funding for environmental technologies, investment in marketing and education, and recruitment of additional expertise to address complex challenges.
  

Opportunities and Recommendations:

• Ensure market growth with diverse dairy products for changing demographics.
  
• Collaborate with health sectors through Food is Medicine.
  
• Promote sustainable farming practices for new revenue streams.
• Use education/outreach to improve nutrition and agricultural literacy. 

+Add Milk! Program Launch and Event 

Dairy Council of CA proudly served at the launch of the +Add Milk! Program event in San Bernardino. Organized by Mother’s Nutritional Center, the program aims to increase milk purchases by low-income consumers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, offering $1 cash back for eligible milk products, up to $10 per transaction, at participating stores where Alta Dena is the exclusive milk provider (and Dairy Pure for lactose-free dairy). The event focused on educating the community about the importance of milk in the diet and included an open press event and a roundtable discussion.

Dairy Council of CA Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Maria Frye engaged with several key stakeholders, emphasizing how milk and dairy foods contribute to nutrition security and highlighting the Let’s Eat Healthy Initiative, which promotes lifelong healthy eating patterns that include milk and dairy foods to enhance the health of children and communities.

The +Add Milk! Program is funded through a $3 million cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Auburn University’s College of Human Sciences Hunger Solutions Institute.

My First 1,000 Days Media Event

Dairy Council of CA, in collaboration with the Raley’s Companies Legacy Health Endowment and Community Health Centers of America, celebrated the success of the First 1,000 Days Dairy Initiative at an event in Newman, California. This initiative, supported by a $250,000 grant from Legacy Health Endowment, provides culturally relevant nutrition education and monthly funds to help families with young children purchase nutrient-dense milk and dairy foods. The event highlighted the positive impact on family nutrition, featuring a panel of speakers, program materials and dairy recipes. Attendees, including community members and media partners, engaged with program participants and discussed the initiative's benefits. Additionally, the program’s success in supporting early childhood nutrition was emphasized.

Learn more about this event here.

If you have questions, concerns or feedback you would like to share, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Best regards,

Amy DeLisio, CEO
Dairy Council of California
adelisio@DairyCouncilofCA.org