Press Release: FACT Responds To HSS Dietary Guidelines

FACT’s Board Chair, Darlene Oliver, issued a Press Release on January 13th in response to the newly published HSS Dietary Guidelines

Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) Welcomes “Real Food” Focus in New U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Dietary Guidelines; Calls for Stronger Emphasis on Local, Sustainable Sourcing for Meat, Dairy, and Poultry.

FACT, a nonprofit dedicated to food system transformation and public health advocacy, responded to the newly released 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The organization praised the federal government’s renewed focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods, while urging greater attention to how food-producing animals are raised.

“We’re encouraged to see the federal government finally acknowledge the harms of ultra-processed foods and the value of real, whole ingredients,” said Harry Rhodes, Executive Director of FACT. “But nutrition doesn’t begin at the plate — it begins at the farm, the ranch, and the community.”

FACT emphasized that nutrition guidance is incomplete without acknowledging how food is produced. “We work every day with farmers, educators, and policy experts who understand that food quality is inseparable from food sourcing,” said Steve Roach, Director of Food Safety for FACT. “We believe that all food from animals must be raised in a humane, healthy, and safe manner. Pasture-based, small-scale, and regenerative producers who emphasize humane treatment of animals are essential to building a healthier, more resilient food system.”

This type of system reduces the vulnerabilities that come with highly concentrated industrial systems — vulnerabilities that have contributed to past food-borne outbreaks and supply-chain shocks. A more local, diversified system is a safer system.

Producers, educators, and families echo FACT’s call for deeper reform.

“The nutritional quality of our meats exceeds that of conventional options,” affirms Miguel Galaviz of Celestial Creek Ranch, Pueblo, Colo. “When policies support local farms, they support real food, real jobs, and real health.”

Contact: darleneoliver822@gmail.com | 310-614-9404 | https://fact.care