The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Add Water!

The University of California’s Nutrition Policy Institute developed and submitted a recent comment in response to the Scientific Report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.

The comment, addressed to U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health & Human Services' officials responsible for translation of the science in the report into the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs), focused on the attention that the next DGAs should give to drinking water in place of sugar-sweetened beverages.

The comment had 97 signatories, including 23 organizations, as well as 74 researchers, health professionals and advocates, among them, Glenda Humiston, PhD, Vice President of UC’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and 25 UC scientists.

The comment asks for clear, actionable advice in the 2020-2025 DGAs that will help encourage the American public to drink water in lieu of sugar-sweetened beverages. It urges USDA to add a symbol for water to the MyPlate graphic and other educational messaging.

Read the full comment and see all the signatories here.