Why “Eat Real Food” Requires Real Systems to Work

The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) deliver a message I strongly agree with: eat real food.

While some elements are misguided or confusing, the core principle—eating more whole foods—is sound and long overdue.

Where the Message Breaks Down

Where the guidance falls short is not in intent, but in execution.

Only 10% of the population consumes a diet consistent with the current DGAs. Nutrition guidance succeeds when it helps people make choices day after day, within real constraints of time, budget, skills, and systems.

Most American households are not choosing highly processed foods because they do not care about health. They choose them because those foods are budget-friendly, fast, and easy to access.

Many families are balancing long work hours, caregiving responsibilities, and rising food costs. Guidance that assumes time, tools, and cooking skills already exist misses the reality of how many people live.

The Same Gap Exists in Federal Nutrition Programs

This gap between intent and execution is also present in federal nutrition programs.

The USDA’s National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program serve nearly 30 million students every day. The DGAs shape what schools are expected to serve, influencing menus, purchasing decisions, and wellness policies nationwide.

Yet many K–12 kitchens were designed decades ago for reheating food, not cooking from scratch. Equipment is outdated. Staffing is limited. Culinary training varies widely.

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The Cost Reality Schools Face

Reimbursement rates reinforce these constraints.

For the 2025–26 school year, federal reimbursement, per student, per meal, ranges from:

• $2.46–$2.94 for breakfast

• $4.60–$4.71 for lunch

These amounts do not reflect the true cost of preparing fresh, appealing meals—including food, labor, equipment, training, and overhead.

What We See in Practice

At Genuine Foods, we see every day that serving real food at scale is possible—but it requires trade-offs.

Scratch cooking, fresh ingredients, and culturally relevant menus demand more from kitchens, staff, and supply chains at a time when food and labor costs remain high.

If national guidance continues to push toward more real food, funding and reimbursement structures must evolve alongside it to make that shift possible across the broader K–12 system.

From Guidance to Action

When guidance promotes eating real food without addressing execution, the status quo persists. Individuals and institutions default to highly processed options because the system is designed to make them easy, affordable, and abundant.

If the DGAs are meant to improve population health, the next phase must focus on action:

• Strengthen kitchen equipment and culinary training in schools
• Match reimbursement rates to the true cost of preparing fresh food
• Improve food and cooking skills alongside nutrition education
• Account for food and nutrition security when translating guidance into practice

Bottom Line

“Eat real food” is the right recipe for success.

But without the tools, skills, funding, and systems to support it, that goal remains out of reach for too many Americans.