FACT FOCUS: A look at RFK Jr.'s misleading claims on US dietary
guidelines and Froot Loops
[August 22, 2025]
By MELISSA GOLDIN
The food pyramid that once guided Americans’ diets has been retired for
more than a decade, but that has not stopped President Donald Trump's
health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., from regularly criticizing the
concept.
He often highlights the pyramid, misrepresenting dietary standards and
criticizing health initiatives of the Biden administration. Such claims
were featured in a video aired Tuesday, before his appearance on Fox
News' “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
Here's a closer look at the facts.
KENNEDY: “The dietary guidelines that we inherited from the Biden
administration were 453 pages long. They were driven by the same
commercial impulses that put Froot Loops at the top of the food
pyramid."
THE FACTS: The original food pyramid did not mention any specific
products. But at the very top, it recommended that oils, fats and sugar
be consumed “sparingly.” Grains such as bread, cereal, rice and pasta
were on the bottom tier, where six to 11 portions a day were
recommended. The current dietary guidelines are 164 pages long, not 453.
They were released in December 2020 during Trump's first term, along
with a four-page executive summary.
A scientific report used to develop the dietary guidelines is published
every five years by an advisory committee. The latest report, released
in December by the Biden administration, is 421 pages long. Trump's
first administration released an 835-page scientific report in July 2020
that informed the current guidelines.
“The dietary guidelines include several documents, including a
scientific report which summarizes the scientific evidence supporting
the dietary guidelines,” said Laura Bellows, an associate professor of
nutritional sciences at Cornell University. “It can be long due to the
comprehensive nature of the document. That said, these findings are
distilled down into concise guidelines that are foundational to the
creation of consumer information and educational materials.”
[to top of second column]
|
 Experts said that Froot Loops, a
breakfast cereal, would have fallen into multiple categories under
the pyramid concept, offering vague guidance to consumers.
“It’s a bit trickier than just one grouping,”
Bellows said in an email. She said Froot Loops “would fall more in
foods that we should ‘moderate’ ... but does contribute to the grain
group.” The cereal is high in sugar, she added, but does have fiber
and other key nutrients.
The Agriculture Department introduced an updated pyramid guide in
2005 that incorporated new nutritional standards. It retired the
pyramid idea altogether in 2011 and now uses the MyPlate concept,
which stresses eating a healthy balance of different foods based on
factors such as age and sex.
MyPlate recommends making half of the grains one eats in a day whole
grains and cutting back on added sugars. Similar to the food
pyramid, this puts Froot Loops, which has whole grains and added
sugars, in both categories.
“MyPlate, not the Food Pyramid, has been the visual graphic for the
US Dietary Guidelines since 2011,” said Bellows. “So, referring to
the ‘top of the pyramid’ is a dated reference.”
Kennedy's other criticism of Froot Loops has focused primarily on
its manufacturer's use of artificial dyes to enhance its color. He
has made getting rid of artificial colors in foods an important part
of his “Make America Healthy Again” plan.
Asked for comment on Kennedy's remarks, the Health and Human
Services Department said work is on track to release the final
2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The agency said Kennedy is committed to ensuring those guidelines
“are grounded in gold-standard science and reflect a clear focus on
healthy, whole, and nutritious foods.”
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
