The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans will say that American diets should still contain no more than 10% of calories from saturated fats.
So say news reports and sources who spoke with people briefed on the guidelines. Jerry Mande, Nourish CEO and an adjunct professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said he’s encouraged that the guidelines will stick with the status quo on saturated fats.
The guidelines, he said, are “mostly aligned” with Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommendations. That committee wrote a scientific report for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who are both responsible for the final guidelines.
Two other developments mentioned by Mande: The guidelines are likely to be short, maybe not even four pages, as Kennedy had promised earlier. “I'm hearing this one's going to end up being around six pages with appendices,” he said.
And the MyPlate logo, which replaced the much-maligned food pyramid in 2011, is probably history. But what replaces it remains to be seen.
Agri-Pulse will have coverage of the guidelines as soon as possible after their release.
Supreme Court may issue opinions Friday as tariff case looms
The Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. (USDA Photo)The Supreme Court is scheduled to release opinions on Friday, but no details of what case, or cases, will be addressed. However, among the possible decisions is a ruling on the legality of the Trump administration’s emergency tariffs.
The court heard arguments for the case in November, and analysts were surprised by how forcefully Trump-appointed justices pushed back on the administration’s arguments.
But, but, but: Even if the court rules the tariffs are illegal, the administration could find ways to replace many of the duties.
“I fully believe the administration has a plan,” former trade negotiator Wendy Cutler told Agri-Pulse Tuesday. “Tariffs will remain.” But she added that there could be some “turbulence” in the interim.
“Tariff rates may fluctuate over the period of time,” Cutler said. The unpredictability could also complicate ongoing trade negotiations, she noted.
House GOP lawmaker dies
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a northern California Republican and fourth-generation rice farmer on the House Agriculture Committee, died Tuesday.
In a statement, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., says he is “devastated” by the news of LaMalfa’s death and says he has “fond memories” of spending time with the California lawmaker.
President Donald Trump calls LaMalfa a “fantastic person,” and a “fierce champion on California water issues.”
Indiana congressman hospitalized after car accident
Rep. Jim Baird, an Indiana Republican and House Agriculture Committee member, has been hospitalized after a car accident, but is expected to make a full recovery, according to his office.
Baird’s vehicle "was struck in an accident,” according to a press release. In a speech at the House GOP retreat on Tuesday, Trump said Baird and his wife were recovering and “were going to be OK.”
Take note: Baird’s hospitalization temporarily tightens House GOP margins that shrunk after LaMalfa’s death and the resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Currently Republicans, including Baird, hold 218 seats in the 435-member chamber, while Democrats hold 213. Four seats are vacant.
Fungicide’s approval challenged
Farmworker and environmental groups are challenging EPA’s approval of a fungicide that they allege is technically a “forever chemical.”
Farmworker Justice, Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network North America, and Center for Food Safety have petitioned the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Franciso. The petition seeks a review of EPA’s November decision approving cyclobutrifluram.
EPA concluded when it OK’d use of the chemical that “no human health risks of concern were identified when this pesticide is used according to the label.” But the petitioners say it “increases the risk of cancer, particularly tumors in the thyroid, which is a crucial part of the endocrine system that regulates everything from metabolism to brain development and fertility.”
The Syngenta-developed fungicide is registered for use on romaine lettuce and as a seed treatment for cotton and soybeans. It’s also registered for use on non-food crops such as turfgrass, and ornamentals like Christmas trees.
EPA’s Cancer Assessment Review Committee has classified the chemical as “not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.”
More on pesticides: The latest Pesticide Data Program report from USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service shows nearly all products tested had levels of crop protection chemicals below EPA-mandated tolerances.
In 2024, tests were conducted on close to 10,000 samples from 19 commodities of fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, nuts and fish, AMS said in a news release.
Potato industry: Canadian rule changes are ‘devastating’ northwest growers
The potato industry wants the Trump administration to investigate Canadian trade practices after a province changed its anti-dumping duty measures.
British Columbia in July lifted the price floor U.S. exporters can sell at, raising the price trigger for anti-dumping duties.
“The impact of that has just devastated their businesses,” National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles told Agri-Pulse, referring to growers in the U.S. northwest that serve the BC market.
Quarles wrote to chief ag trade negotiator, Julie Callahan, last week and pressed the trade representative’s office to urge the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate the Canadian market.
Final Word
"Congressman LaMalfa cared deeply for the people he served and worked tirelessly to hold the government to its word to fix our failing forests, build water storage, and leave people to be free to choose what is best for themselves. His tragic and unexpected passing leaves a deep impact on many. He leaves behind his amazing wife Jill, four children, one grandchild, two sisters and a host of cousins." – A statement from California Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s office on the news of his passing.
Steve Davies, Oliver Ward and Noah Wicks contributed to today’s Daybreak.
