WASHINGTON—The Obama administration today released the much-anticipated 2015-20 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that include fruits and vegetables at the top of the list for a healthy diet.

Issued every five years, the guidelines not only provide the latest scientifically supported dietary advice, they often shape government policies on a range of food issues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health & Human Services released the recommendations along with an updated MyPlate MyWins program.

The document recommends a diet based on a variety of nutritious foods like vegetables, fruits, grains, low-fat and fat-free dairy, lean meats and other protein foods and oils, while limiting saturated fats, trans fats, added sugars and sodium.

Specifically, it urges Americans to eat a variety of vegetables, including dark green, red and orange, legumes and starchy vegetables. The recommended amount of vegetables in the Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern at the 2,000-calorie level is two-and-a-half cup-equivalents per day. For fruits, it’s two cup-equivalents per day, with at least half coming from whole fruits.

“The Dietary Guidelines provide science-based recommendations on food and nutrition so people can make decisions that may help keep their weight under control, and prevent chronic conditions, like Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease,” said HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell.

United Fresh Produce Association praised the new recommendations for urging Americans to significantly increase consumption of fruits and vegetables.

“For the first time, and to reinforce the significance of eating more vegetables and fruits, this recommendation tops the list of ways to improve eating habits and health,” said United Fresh Produce Association President Tom Stenzel.  

Stenzel called on policy makers “to align all federal nutrition programs with the 2015-20 Dietary Guidelines to significantly increase access to fruits and vegetables and to consider a broad range of policy changes and educational strategies to make fruits and vegetables the easy choice for all Americans and to strengthen promotion of Choose My Plate’s key consumer message ‘make half your plate fruits and vegetables.’”  

The American Frozen Food Association also praised the latest guidelines for recommending an increase in consumption of all forms of fruits and vegetables.

“AFFI applauds the administration for recognizing the benefits of all forms of fruits and vegetables — frozen, fresh, canned, dried and 100 percent juice — in achieving and maintaining healthy dietary patterns,” said AFFI Interim President Joseph Clayton.

“As confirmed by Frozen Food Foundation-commissioned nutritional studies conducted by the Universities of Georgia and California Davis, frozen fruits and vegetables are as rich in nutrients, and often more so, than fresh stored produce,” he said.

Initially expected to be released in December, the latest guidelines have been the focus of no shortage of controversies and congressional hearings. The final document does not weigh in on sustainability recommendations, which were widely condemned by the food industry as outside the charter of dietary advice.