On January 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published “The Scientific Foundation For The Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2025-2030” to “provide clear, evidence-based recommendations to help Americans make informed food choices that support health, prevent chronic disease, and improve quality of life.”
The report highlights the potential health risks of consuming highly processed foods and the contributions of food packaging to those risks, noting that “[m]any processed convenience foods are packaged or heated in plastic packaging, films, and coatings that can migrate into foods prior to ingestion.” More accurately, chemicals used and present in plastic packaging as well as microplastics abraded from these materials, can migrate into food.
The report goes on to state that emerging evidence shows that chemicals from food packaging materials can be found in human tissues and that the accumulation of these compounds could lead to adverse health effects (FPF reported).
Addressing research gaps
An accompanying appendix describes the current research gaps and research needs for the health impacts of chemical additives and contaminants present in food and food packaging, including microplastics (FPF reported), phthalates, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). A table published within the appendix shows that most of the known additives and contaminants on the list are approved for their intended use under existing U.S. regulatory pathways or have not yet been assessed.
The appendix explains that “[b]ecause these chemicals are widespread and often co-occur in many packaged foods, an important question is what types of human evidence exist to evaluate potential long-term health effects.” It highlights four key research areas that would “strengthen the evidence base for future dietary guidance,” including:
- Direct quantitation of additives and packaging contaminants in common consumer US foods, particularly in highly processed foods and those packaged in plastic
- Better quantification of human exposure to contaminants using biomarkers where feasible
- Development of exposure biomarkers or signatures for additives that cannot be readily measured in blood or urine
- Long-term randomized controlled studies to determine whether consumption of minimally processed foods and diets can reduce levels of food packaging contaminants
“The Scientific Foundation For The Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2025-2030” was commissioned to replace the “Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee” because of disagreements with the original report’s equity-focused approach and resulting recommendations.
References
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). January, 7, 2026. “The Scientific Foundation For The Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2025-2030.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). January 7, 2026. “The Scientific Foundation For The Dietary Guidelines For Americans 2025-2030 Appendices.”
