The United States Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Agriculture announced the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee (DGAC). The International Fresh Produce Association congratulates the committee members and applauds the selection of these candidates.
“The committee serves a critical role in updating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) every five years. They independently review current nutrition science and research, collaborate during meetings, assist in developing protocols to review scientific evidence and develop a scientific report that is presented to the departments as they develop the guidelines,” said IFPA vice president of nutrition and health Mollie Van Lieu. “In addition to providing a framework for MyPlate, the guidelines have a profound impact on federal nutrition assistance programs that IFPA advocates for including WIC, SNAP, USDA procurement and school nutrition programs. Months ago, we nominated several highly qualified candidates to serve on the committee and are very pleased that all were selected.”
The following individuals were nominated by IFPA and selected:
- Cheryl Anderson, Ph.D., MPH, MS, University of California San Diego. Dr. Anderson is a professor and dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). At UCSD, Dr. Anderson is the director of the UCSD Center of Excellence in Health Promotion and Equity. She is a fellow of the American Heart Association and chair of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee and vice chair on the council on Epidemiology and Prevention. Dr. Anderson’s research focuses on nutrition and chronic disease prevention.
- Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., Stanford University. Dr. Gardner is a professor of medicine at Stanford University and has been conducting epidemiological and human intervention trials for 30 years. He has served on various nutrition-related committees and was co-chair on the recent American Heart Association Policy Statement on Promoting Equity through Nutrition Security. He has a strong publication background in diet and weight management and was the principal investigator and lead author of two landmark weight loss diet trials.
- Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, DrPH, MPH, Oklahoma State University. Dr. Jernigan is a professor of rural health at the Center for Rural Health as well as the executive director of the Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy at Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. Dr. Jernigan is the principal investigator of four NIH-funded R01 studies, including “THRIVE”, a randomized trial of healthy makeovers in tribally owned convenience stores and “FRESH,” a food sovereignty and community gardening intervention with Osage Nation. As an Indigenous woman and citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Dr. Jernigan utilizes her lived experience to connect with the communities she works in.
Click here to learn more about the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
For more information:
Siobhan May
IFPA
Tel: +1 (302) 781-5855
SMay@freshproduce.com
www.freshproduce.com