The latest version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans will be released today Thursday by Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Vilsack declined to say what time the guidelines will be released and whether he and Burwell will hold a news conference, according to the Hagstrom Report. The guidelines are revised every five years after a committee considers the most recent research on diet and food and the two secretaries make final determinations about their content. The government urges Americans to follow the guidelines in their eating habits, and the guidelines are used to determine the foods and portions in federal nutrition programs.
The guidelines were expected to be released in December, but administration officials said they decided to wait until January when many Americans focus on diet and weight loss.