The 2025 Dietary Guidelines Scientific Report Provides Historic Inclusion of Indigenous Nutritional Needs

“Her appointment on 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is a game changer,” said Carly Griffith Hotvedt (Cherokee Nation), executive director for the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative. “Having someone who understands the wide variety of Tribal and Alaska Native communities in this sector is now more fully reflected in the recommendations.”

Dr. Jernigan joined the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee in 2024, bringing with her extensive nutrition and health expertise as the director for the Center for Indigenous Health at Oklahoma State University.

The guidelines

“The Dietary Guidelines are not a law but do play a large role in USDA’s determinations of what foods to source and nutrition program offerings,” Griffith Hotvedt said.

Federal law mandates guidelines be updated every five years, based on a preponderance of scientific evidence. The advisory committee of scientific researchers and professionals compile their recommendations, which are reviewed by an interdepartmental committee consisting of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) staff. If approved, they become final and set the standard for food and nutrition priorities federally.

“Until Dr. Jernigan, no one on the advisory committee has had a deep familiarity with Indigenous nutrition science or the nutrition-influenced public health-related impacts to Tribal communities,” Griffith Hotvedt said. “Having somebody like Dr. Jernigan on the committee, who is 100 percent involved in that research and understands that landscape as an Indigenous scientist, that cannot be understated.”

The committee’s scientific report published in December 2024 provides insight into their recommendations and methodologies. However, it is not the final report. The process of finalizing the guidelines includes multiple steps, such as releasing the scientific report and seeking public input.

Impact on Indian Country

The nutrition guidelines impact Tribal citizens across the country. Approximately 25% of American Indian and Alaska Natives in the country rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) monthly, and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) also plays a key role in Indian Country’s food security safety net.

“The composition of food packages – like those offered through FDPIR or the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) – have to comply with the dietary guidelines, which are a policy compromise between the Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA,” Griffith Hotvedt said.

The committee’s December 2024 report dedicates one specific section to a dietary study on foods consumed by Alaska Native and Native American populations. The pilot simulated foods and beverages identified by cultural experts from select Native communities, including Cherokee Nation, Blackfeet Nation, Navajo Nation, and Alaska Natives to examine the impact of culturally-significant foods and beverages.

The study was, as the authors noted, in response to public comments that included a call for Dietary Guidelines to have greater American Indian and Alaska Native inclusion by considering the traditional foods.

The pilot study of Alaska Native and Native American diets was, as the committee authors explained, “positive first step,” with more work to be done to tailor recommendations to meet the unique needs of the 500+ Tribal Nations across the country. The report noted that the data on consumption in these communities, especially when factoring in items considered traditional, remains sparse.

As the committee said, the inclusion “of American Indian and Alaska Native populations in the design and methods of food intake measures can address the paucity of research within this topic.” This reflects the calls for more Tribally-specific research opportunities examining the unique nature of food and nutrition in AI/AN communities around the country, something organizations like the National Association of Food Distribution Programs on Indian Reservations (NAFDPIR), Native Farm Bill Coalition (NFBC), and the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative have long worked for.

Next Steps

“The 2025 Nutrition Guidelines scientific recommendations were more inclusive of Native peoples’ nutrition needs, but it is just the start,” Griffith Hotvedt said. “Forty-four years to get Tribal-specific components included into the guidelines is too long. But every journey begins with one step, and we hope this will eventually translate into procurement opportunities for Native producers and healthier food options for Indian Country.”

IFAI will host an online webinar at 1 p.m. central on Jan. 9, 2025, diving into the 412-page report’s recommendations and potential implications for Tribal Nations and Tribal citizens.

On January 16, the two federal departments are hosting a public meeting to hear oral comments from interested parties. The final date to submit written comments regarding the advisory committee’s report is Feb. 10, 2025.

Register for IFAI’s webinar at bit.ly/NGW2025, and access IFAI’s policy research and resources at indigenousfoodandag.com.