New Dietary Guidelines for Americans Prioritizes Olive Oil as Healthy Fat

CLOVIS, CA (January 7, 2026) – The release of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans represents a monumental step forward for the "Make America Healthy Again" initiative. By adopting a common sense, science-based approach to public health, the new guidelines send a clear message to U.S. consumers: “eat real food” - prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods and healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).

These recommendations carry significant weight, as they determine the nutritional standards for food served in our nation’s schools and military installations, and provide the framework for federal food programs.

“We applaud the strong recommendations to integrate olive oil into the American diet as an essential means of improving U.S. health,” said Kimberly Houlding, President and CEO of the American Olive Oil Producers Association (AOOPA). “The science is definitive: extra virgin olive oil is a cornerstone of a healthy dietary pattern. It increases the nutrient density of the foods it accompanies and has the proven ability to decrease the risk of multiple chronic diseases.”

EVOO, which goes through minimal physical processing to extract the oil from the olives, is the highest grade of olive oil and has many healthy properties not found in lesser grades. Research demonstrates that the naturally high levels of healthy antioxidants- phenols, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, squalene, and monounsaturated fatty acids in EVOO are transferred into food during cooking. This process makes fat-soluble vitamins in vegetables more bioavailable, allowing the body to absorb nutrients more efficiently while enhancing flavor. Given these protective compounds, EVOO remains the healthiest oil available to consumers today, and one of the top superfoods. In fact, a modeling study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics indicates even a modest 20% adherence to the Mediterranean diet, of which EVOO is the cornerstone, could result in $16.7B in annual healthcare savings.

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