About

Released in February 1980, the 1980 Dietary Guidelines for Americans featured recommendations developed and released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS). In 1978, the USDA and HHS (named the Department of Health, Education and Welfare at the time) Joint Coordinating Committee voluntarily appointed a task force of scientists within the two Departments to develop nutritional guidance statements to advise the public on the current knowledge about the relationship of diet to health and disease.

After the review of information from the Surgeon General’s Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, the American Society for Clinical Nutrition, and other scientific bodies, the task force issued its conclusions in the form of Dietary Guidelines statements based on current scientific views on nutrition and its effect on health. The 1980 Dietary Guidelines remained the federal guidance until the 1985 Dietary Guidelines was released.