While the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were designed as a simplified, public-facing resource – rather than a technical document traditionally used by policymakers, program administrators and health professionals – some critics argue that the inverted food pyramid replaces the more actionable and clearer-cut messaging of its former visual aid, MyPlate.
Since its introduction in 2011, MyPlate has been widely embedded across federal nutrition education programs, school meal guidance and public-facing USDA resources. The visual guide replaced the famous 1992 Food Guide Pyramid as a more consumer-friendly interpretation of recommended serving sizes across food groups.
MyPlate’s visual was literal – a plate divided into four sections, with grains and vegetables dominating the surface, followed by fruits and protein, and a separate, smaller circle representing dairy.
Historically, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee compiled a scientific report that was then translated by USDA and HHS into the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That process also typically informed updates to consumer-facing tools such as MyPlate and other food guides.
The 2025–2030 DGA introduced a new, inverted food pyramid that places protein, dairy, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats across the top. Whole grains, however, are grouped at the bottom, signaling a recommendation to consume less of these foods – a significant departure from the original food pyramid, which placed sweets and fats in that position. Critics note that while the DGA text continues to recommend multiple daily servings of whole grains, the pyramid’s visual placement suggests the opposite.
The updated DGA and its complementary food pyramid have garnered criticism and praise across the food and health industries.
Critics raised concerns over potential increases in saturated fat intake from animal meat and full-fat dairy, while supporters argue the inverted pyramid better reflects nutrient density and satiety by prioritizing protein and whole foods over volume-based carbohydrate recommendations.
The Independent Medical Alliance, for example, has praised the DGA’s focus on minimally processed foods, reduced sugar intake and balanced fats as a critical step toward addressing chronic illness.
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So, where is MyPlate now?
While USDA and HHS have not explicitly stated that MyPlate has been discontinued, federal nutrition messaging now centers on the inverted food pyramid, effectively sidelining MyPlate as the government’s primary visual guidance tool.
A visit to MyPlate.gov shows an image of the inverted pyramid as the cover visual for the DGA, directing visitors to the newly established RealFood.gov where the guidance lives. MyPlate is not mentioned in the agencies’ Jan. 7 press release announcing the guidelines; instead, the pyramid is described as being reclaimed “as a tool for nourishment and education.”
MyPlate’s apparent replacement with the new food pyramid has been viewed as a serious mistake by some critics.
Nutrition NGO Nourish Science criticized the shift, arguing that the pyramid creates confusion for school meal administrators tasked with developing healthy meals for students, whereas MyPlate’s appeal lay in its simple visual representation of the DGA.
“The administration’s introduction of a new food pyramid is an unfortunate mistake. MyPlate is a successful, easy-to-understand graphic representation of the DGAs, with a simple, actionable message: make half your plate fruits and vegetables,” wrote Jerold Mande, CEO of Nourish Science.
The significantly condensed 2025–2030 DGA – just 10 pages, about 94% shorter than the 164-page 2020–2025 version – also raised concern among some health groups.
The National WIC Association (NWA), a nonprofit representing 12,000 public health nutrition service provider agencies, noted that while the shorter format may be more approachable for consumers, past DGAs served as a technical resource for dietitians and healthcare providers who relied on federally mandated tools like MyPlate.
“The limited materials provided with the 2025–2030 DGA may make it difficult for nutrition educators, such as WIC nutritionists, to educate the public on the recommendations,” NWA said in a statement.
While WIC – formally the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children – is not immediately impacted by the new DGA, as a federally overseen program, its food packages must eventually reflect updated dietary guidance.
According to NWA, USDA has not yet communicated when it plans to review WIC’s food packages, which are typically updated about once every decade to align with the latest Dietary Guidelines.
Food pyramid or MyPlate - are either effective in guiding healthy eating?
MyPlate is more easily understood and applicable for consumers, as people generally eat off a plate, making the visual relatable to real-life settings, according to Anna Rosales, senior director of government affairs and nutrition, Institute of Food Technologists.
However, she pointed out that many consumers have not followed or understood the dietary guidelines, leading to a gap between the recommendations and actual eating habits.
She emphasized that, while MyPlate is a helpful tool, the bigger challenge is ensuring that public health communications drive people to make incrementally better food choices, even if they don’t fully achieve the guidelines.
