The government’s new meat-heavy diet looks unaffordable for many Americans

• The new "Real Food" pyramid could be too expensive for many Americans, according to a recent survey.
• Half of the respondents said affordability concerns make it hard to follow the protein-intensive guidance.
• Switching to the new food pyramid would raise grocery bills by 32% per person.

New data suggests the dietary recommendations championed by US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could be out of the budgets of many American households.

A recent survey from consumer analytics firm Numerator found that US shoppers are still learning about the new "Real Food" pyramid released by the federal government in January. Less than half of the respondents surveyed that month said they were aware of the changed guidance.

The survey, which had more than 2,000 respondents, also found that half of the shoppers cited affordability concerns as the leading reason they were not able to shop in line with the new recommendations.

In particular, Numerator found that changing consumption to the new recommendations would hike grocery bills by 32%, or an estimated $1,012, per person a year.

Almost all of that cost difference was attributed in the study to the new emphasis on protein, particularly meat products.

The new guidelines also recommend plant-based protein sources, but Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement has a well-documented preference for red meat.

Some medical doctors beg to differ with Kennedy's high-cholesterol diet.

The American Heart Association last week released a paper recommending a shift toward plant-based proteins rather than red meat or processed meat, and the American Medical Association has long said that meat and dairy products are "optional."

Numerator's analysis also found that the increased grocery expense would, naturally, hit larger households harder than smaller ones. In addition, the prices in the study were based on November 2025 rates, and beef has only gotten more expensive since then.

Setting aside the government's position, Numerator's data does show that Americans are taking dietary health more seriously, increasing their shopping trips to the "perimeter" sections of the store that include fresh produce and dairy at a higher rate than trips to the center aisles with more heavily processed packaged foods.

"Consumers are not replacing one set of behaviors with another," Numerator wrote. "They are layering health intentions on top of existing habits."

Still, Numerator said that consumers are less likely to change their patterns because of any government guidance, but from an ongoing effort to balance their health priorities with their household budgets.