US to tighten sugar advice in new diet guidelines: How much is too much?

New US dietary guidelines are expected to cap added sugars per meal, spotlight ultra-processed foods and influence what millions of Americans eat at home, in schools and at work

Most people don’t think they eat too much sugar until they start counting it. From breakfast cereals to fizzy drinks and packaged snacks, added sugars accumulate throughout the day. That is why the US is preparing to urge Americans to sharply cut back on added sugars in new dietary guidelines, a move that could change what people eat at home, in schools and through government nutrition programmes.

 

According to a Bloomberg report, the Trump administration is set to unveil new dietary advice later this week that urges Americans to limit added sugars to no more than 10 grams per meal.

 

What do the new US dietary guidelines propose on sugar?

The report says that added sugars should be treated with far more caution than before. The guidelines are expected to recommend that people, especially children, avoid sugars that do not naturally occur in foods such as fruit or milk. This means sugars added during processing or cooking, the kind that dominate packaged snacks, sweetened cereals, desserts and soft drinks.

 

The broader advice also nudges Americans away from highly processed foods, which form the backbone of the modern US food industry.

 

The guidelines are revised roughly every five years by the US Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture and, according to media reports, they carry enormous influence, from school lunches to doctors’ advice in clinics.

Why is sugar under such intense scrutiny in the US now?

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has publicly labelled sugar a “poison” and blamed ultra-processed foods for fuelling chronic diseases in the US.

 

While previous guidelines already advised limiting added sugars to no more than 10 per cent of daily calories for anyone over the age of two, the new framing — 10 grams per meal — makes the advice far more tangible.

 

To put this in perspective, a single 300 ml can of regular Coca-Cola contains about 39 grams of sugar. Under the new advice, that is nearly four meals’ worth of added sugar in one drink.

 

Trying to stay under 10 grams of added sugar per meal would mean rethinking many breakfast staples, flavoured yoghurts, sauces and sweetened beverages. It is no surprise, then, that shares of several major food and drink companies dipped after news of the guidelines emerged, even as the broader US stock market hit record highs. 

What other nutrition advice may change in the guidelines?

Bloomberg reports that the updated guidelines may also recommend higher protein intake than the current daily allowance of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. This would align with growing evidence that adequate protein supports muscle mass, metabolic health and healthy ageing.

 

The guidelines are expected to retain the current cap on saturated fat, despite some senior officials suggesting it has been unfairly demonised.

 

Saturated fats are found mainly in animal-based foods such as meat and full-fat dairy, as well as in some baked and fried foods.

 

In July, the US Food and Drug Administration and the Agriculture Department began work on defining what counts as an ultra-processed food. These foods are typically made with industrial ingredients such as preservatives, sweeteners and additives that are rarely found in home kitchens.

 

However, Kennedy has acknowledged that the government may never land on a single, neat definition.

 

The dietary guidelines shape what nearly 30 million children eat in US schools and influence food served through federal nutrition programmes. They also underpin the advice that doctors and dietitians give millions of patients.

 

The implementation may be tricky, though. Schools, in particular, may struggle to comply with tougher standards around ultra-processed foods. “There are so many schools that don’t have the infrastructure, the equipment or the staff to be able to scratch-prepare all their meals,” Diane Pratt-Heavner of the School Nutrition Association told Bloomberg. The group is urging Congress to increase funding so schools can cook more meals from basic ingredients. 

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