Trump’s Dietary Guidelines Ignore Science
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From Stephanie Feldstein, Population and Sustainability Program Director |
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The new dietary guidelines were released earlier this month, and they put Americans’ health — and the health of the planet — at risk. While they focus on eating whole and minimally processed foods, the new guidelines also prioritize foods high in saturated fat like meat and full-fat dairy, dismissing decades of research linking these foods to chronic diseases and environmental destruction. Prevailing nutrition science recommends eating fiber-rich vegetables, fruits, legumes, and nuts and more plant sources of protein like beans, peas, and lentils.
To help Americans understand what nutritional recommendations would look like if they followed actual scientific advice, we’ve coauthored the Uncompromised Dietary Guidelines for Americans and A Model for Healthy and Sustainable Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Read them for the clear, evidence-based nutrition advice the Trump administration failed to deliver. Then read on to learn about how schools will soon serve nondairy milk, our fight for ancient horseshoe crabs, and more.
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Crowded Planet — New research reveals just how interconnected wolves and people are. Studies have shown that wolves in the Midwest and Canada help control deer populations and alter deer behavior in ways that prevent car crashes. One study in Wisconsin found that as wolves spread across the state, car collisions with deer dropped 24%.
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Adding Sexual Health to Emergency Plans |
Our new 50-state scorecard ranking how well states include sexual and reproductive health supplies in their emergency preparedness checklists was covered extensively by The 19th. The story illustrates how disasters from climate change are making it harder to access reproductive and sexual healthcare — yet most states don’t account for that during emergency planning.
“We’d love to see more people advocating for the rights of women and gender diverse people, or birthing mothers,” the Center’s Kelley Dennings told The 19th. “These folks aren’t always at the table, so then their voices aren’t heard in these plans.” Here’s one thing you can do: While we wait for states to catch up, check out our guide to learn how to distribute sexual health emergency preparedness kits in your community.
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USDA Funding Doesn’t Add Up |
Last month the U.S. Department of Agriculture rolled out the Farmers First Regenerative Agriculture pilot program, promising $700 million to farmers to adopt practices that improve soil health, enhance water quality, and boost long-term productivity. While those are critically important goals, they’re undermined by the administration’s rollbacks of environmental regulations on key issues like pesticides and water pollution. And the program comes after the USDA slashed funding for sustainable agriculture by canceling the $3 billion Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program.
That’s not the only USDA move that doesn’t add up, I explain in an op-ed in Newsweek. The agency has cut more than $1 billion for schools to purchase food from local producers, and then it offered a mere $18 million in farm-to-school grants. President Donald Trump’s trade wars have tanked export income to the tune of $44 billion, but the administration offered just $12 billion in bridge payments. The Trump spin machine is on overdrive, but empty words won’t change the countless ways this administration is undermining public health, rural communities, and the environment.
Here’s one thing you can do: Learn about how the Center is fighting for meaningful standards in state and federal policy for regenerative agriculture in our guide to the potential and limitations of regenerative farming. |
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Anti-Abortion Activists Try to Co-Opt Environmental Law |
As the right continues its attack on abortion access, they’re testing a new pathway to criminalize abortion care: environmental law. In 2025 anti-abortion policymakers introduced nine bills in seven states using deceptive claims about water pollution to attack medication abortion, The Guttmacher Institute explains. To be clear, there’s absolutely no evidence that medication abortion is affecting U.S. waterways, and anti-abortion activists have ignored true environmental hazards to drinking water, like chemicals from the agricultural industry.
The Center is tracking the issue closely while we continue to fight the real threats to our waterways. PFAS chemicals — otherwise known as “forever” chemicals — can build up in our bodies, contaminate water sources, and break down into one of the world’s most pervasive water pollutants, threatening aquatic and semiaquatic life. Here’s one thing you can do: Tell the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop approving forever pesticides that hurt people, wildlife, and the environment. |
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Schools Will Soon Serve Nondairy Milk |
For years students and parents have struggled to get nondairy milk in schools — a federal law requiring a doctor’s note created a financial and administrative burden. That’s about to change. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, which expands access to both whole and reduced-fat milk and nondairy milk alternatives in schools, was recently signed into law by the president.
The inclusion of nondairy milk in the Act was driven by dozens of youth advocates who worked to convince their schools and elected representatives to improve plant-based options. It delivers a long-overdue win for the planet and students by providing an alternative to dairy’s massive burden on the climate and public health. Here’s one thing you can do: Check out our Wildlife-Friendly Guide to Sustainable School Food to learn how students, parents, and staff can build momentum for nutritious school meals. |
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Endangered Species Condoms: Now on Instagram |
For 15 years our Endangered Species Condoms have helped people make the connection between human population growth and the extinction crisis. They’re a fun, unique way to ensure that the population conversation remains a part of the environmental movement. Now we’re bringing our Endangered Species Condoms to a new platform: Instagram.
Follow our account to learn about the species featured on our condom boxes, threats from endless growth and common-sense solutions, announcements about where you can grab your own Endangered Species Condoms, and info on how to distribute them in your community. Here’s one thing you can do: Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Help us celebrate by signing up to distribute free Endangered Species Condoms. |
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Wildlife Spotlight: Horseshoe Crabs |
Nearly twice as old as dinosaurs, horseshoe crabs have been crawling ashore for more than 450 million years. They’re brown, body-armored arthropods with 10 eyes and a long, spiked tail.
Each spring horseshoe crabs lay their eggs on beaches in massive spawning events. But their populations have crashed by more than 70% in recent decades because of overharvesting and habitat loss. Biomedical companies drain their blood for drug-safety testing — even though synthetic alternatives are approved and available.
Horseshoe crabs have saved many people — and we’re fighting to save them. We recently sued NOAA Fisheries for failing to make a preliminary decision on whether to protect American horseshoe crabs under the Endangered Species Act.
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Center for Biological Diversity
P.O. Box 710
Tucson, AZ 85702
United States |
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