IDFA, NMPF applaud release of 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
For the first time, the guidelines include recommendations for children younger than 2 years of age.
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation separately applauded the Dec. 29 release of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). The guidelines affirm that dairy products will maintain their historically important role in federal nutrition recommendations, Washington, D.C.-based IDFA said, including recommending most Americans consume three servings of dairy each day.
The report was published by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services after nearly two years of review, evaluation and discussion by a committee of scientific and nutritional experts, IDFA noted. For the first time, the 2020-2025 DGAs include recommendations for children younger than 2 years of age. These new recommendations make dairy foods an important part of a healthy diet for young children from 6 months to 24 months of age. From 12-23 months of age, the DGAs recommend “higher fat versions of dairy … compared to patterns for ages 2 and older,” including whole milk.