New Dietary Guidelines: Affordability Varies as Protein Demands Shift Costs

Economists using a MAHA-style exercise tested the cost of diets that meet the new US dietary guidelines and found mixed affordability: avoiding ultra-processed foods can be cheaper, but higher protein recommendations and some animal proteins raise costs. In two sample daily plans, costs were $8.59 and $5.08, with the cheaper plan lacking sufficient calories and fat, highlighting that cost, time, and access shape how people actually follow the guidelines. The results show some affordable, nutritious paths and some that are not, underscoring the challenge of messaging affordability in dietary policy.