A group of 53 medical schools has pledged to increase the time devoted to teaching nutrition to medical students starting in the fall[1]. It was announced by HHS on Thursday in Washington[1]. The Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine will begin implementing a minimum of 40 hours of nutrition education or competency-based equivalent across the entire four-year degree program in fall 2026[1]. Dietary-induced chronic diseases account for nearly 60 percent of deaths in the US and contribute to health care expenditures in excess of $4 trillion annually[1]. The initiative is a response to an urgent public health need and supported by bipartisan action by Congress[1]. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in June that medical schools must increase nutrition instruction or lose HHS funding[2]. Schools had until September 10 to submit plans with scope, timelines, milestones and accountability measures[2][3][4]. In response to HHS and ED, the AAMC highlighted an increase in school nutrition mandates from 38% in 2014 to 94% in 2024[4].