A new survey found 60% of Americans support the Trump administration’s food pyramid and dietary guideline changes, though Democrats were less supportive of the overall update.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Most Americans support recent federal changes to the food pyramid and dietary guidelines, with especially strong backing for recommendations that limit sugar and highly processed foods, according to a new poll.
The survey, released July 9, found that 60% of respondents supported the updated guidelines announced in January by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other Trump administration officials.
Support was even higher for several specific recommendations. Ninety percent of respondents said they backed guidance to avoid or limit sugar and highly processed foods, while 85% supported increasing protein intake.
About six in 10 respondents also supported recommendations to eat more beef and drink more whole milk. Republican respondents accounted for most of that support.
The findings showed a partisan divide over the overall update. While majorities of both Republican and Democratic respondents supported individual recommendations, most Democrats did not support the full set of changes to the food pyramid. Overall support among Democrats was 37%, compared with 83% among Republicans.
The poll was conducted March 19 to April 1 by the de Beaumont Foundation’s Public Health Listening Lab and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It surveyed 2,205 adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
The Trump administration described the main message of the January dietary update as “eat real food.”
“To Make America Healthy Again, we must return to the basics. American households must prioritize diets built on whole, nutrient-dense foods—protein, dairy, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains,” Kennedy and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at the time.
“Paired with a dramatic reduction in highly processed foods laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives, this approach can change the health trajectory for so many Americans.”
The poll comes amid broader public discussion over ultraprocessed foods. A separate survey released earlier in June found that more than half of respondents had heard of ultraprocessed food, described as food altered through industrial processes.
That 2025 survey, conducted by YouGov and health researchers, found that about half of respondents believed the U.S. government has responsibility for addressing harms linked to ultraprocessed food. Larger shares said companies, parents and individuals also carry responsibility.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication on the Harvard-linked poll.
The survey also found declining trust in recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trust fell from about 75% in 2025 to 50% this year, with the drop occurring among Democratic and independent respondents. Trust increased slightly among Republicans.
Kennedy has overseen major changes to CDC guidance, including recommendations involving vaccines and the agency’s updated stance on autism. The vaccine changes are currently on hold under a federal judge’s March ruling while an appeal is considered.
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