For Immediate Release:
January 8, 2026
For press inquiries only, contact:
Amanda Priest (334) 322-5694
William Califf (334) 604-3230
(Montgomery, Ala) – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced a major policy victory following the final Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030. The final guidelines reject radical proposals to move beef and other animal-based proteins to the bottom of the federal government’s protein priority list.
In February 2025, a coalition of 23 states filed a comment letter supporting the role beef can play in a well-rounded and protein-rich diet. A committee of Biden-Harris appointees recommended that beans, peas, and lentils should be listed as the best source of protein, with meat, poultry, and eggs moved to last on the list. The Trump Administration—agreeing with the coalition of attorneys general—soundly rejected that radical proposal.
“This is a commonsense victory for the American people and a correction to the extreme, unproven ideology that Biden, and Obama, allowed to seep into everyday life,” stated Attorney General Marshall. “The law requires that the dietary guidelines be based purely on scientific and medical findings. Biden’s committee boasted that it used a ‘health equity lens’ to craft its recommendations, prioritizing things like ‘race, ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and culture’ over science and common sense. I am pleased that President Trump’s administration corrected this overreach and recognized, based on the overwhelming scientific evidence, that animal-based protein can play a vital role in a healthy diet—no matter one’s race.”
The new guidelines maintain meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood as core components of the protein foods group and do not reorder protein sources to place red meat last. They also emphasize adequate protein intake across life stages and acknowledge the unique nutritional benefits of animal-based proteins. The benefits of animal-based proteins, like beef, for a healthy diet are well known. No other food has as much protein, calorie for calorie, as beef and other meats. Sufficient protein consumption is linked to satiety, proper childhood development, combating anemia, and building and maintaining muscle. Beef is also an excellent source of micronutrients, which contribute to metabolic functioning, cognitive development, and hormone regulation.
Attorney General Marshall continued, “Alabama’s cattle farmers, and consumers across the country, will benefit tremendously from this science-based decision by the Trump administration. Disregarding generations of nutrition research and data became a hallmark of Biden-era policies, and this rule puts the facts, health, and common sense back where they belong.”
Joining Alabama and Nebraska on the comment were attorneys general from the following states: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The new dietary guidelines can be reviewed here.
The February 2025 comment letter can be reviewed here.
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