Prenatal nutrition standards in the U.S. are broken.

National pregnancy and breastfeeding nutrition standards were first established in 1941. 85 years later, these standards still rely heavily on research done on non-pregnant populations. Of the nearly 1 million people whose data shaped these standards, fewer than 5% were pregnant or breastfeeding—in fact, most of them were men.

These standards guide doctors' recommendations and prenatal vitamin formulation. Nearly every pregnant woman in the U.S. takes a prenatal vitamin, yet 95% are left nutritionally depleted.

The stakes couldn't be higher. Pregnancy and breastfeeding are the most nutritionally demanding stages in a woman's life, and depletion can have dire consequences. The U.S. has the worst maternal and infant health outcomes of any high-income nation, and better nutrition in pregnancy can positively impact birth outcomes and the lifelong health of mother and baby.

We can't estimate mothers' needs from research on everyone else. And in 2026, we have the data to do better. Over 350 studies on pregnancy and breastfeeding nutrition make one thing clear — women need more.

That's why we're calling on Congress and key federal agencies to update the nutrition standards for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

The research has evolved. It's time the standards for women's nutrition caught up.

Join us. Demand more for mothers. Sign the petition.

I'm calling on Congress and key federal agencies to prioritize updating nutrition standards for pregnant and breastfeeding women using modern, population-specific research reflecting the diversity of women and the realities of motherhood today.

This is not a partisan issue. It is a scientific one. 

Updating the standards to reflect current science requires a formal, evidence-based process. The first step is for Congress and federal agencies to prioritize and fund a dedicated consensus study to evaluate the evidence on nutrient requirements for pregnancy and lactation through the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). Once completed, the report would provide the scientific foundation to inform and prioritize future updates to nutrient standards (Dietary Reference Intakes or DRIs).

The Decision Makers

We're delivering this petition to:

1. U.S. Congress: Members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, who set national priorities, allocate funding, and can direct federal agencies to support and initiate independent scientific reviews through the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
2. Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): The cabinet office overseeing federal health agencies that fund and support nutrition research and the evidence generation, review, and coordination activities that inform National Academies consensus studies and future updates to nutrient standards.
1. National Institutes of Health: The nation's largest public funder of biomedical research, including nutrition science, which sits under HHS. Specifically the:

1.     Office of Nutrition Research (ONR)
2.     Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)

1. Office of the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): The cabinet office overseeing USDA, which supports national dietary data, nutrition evidence review, and coordination activities that inform National Academies consensus studies and the application of nutrient standards in policy and programs.

About Needed™

This petition is led by Needed, a women's nutritional supplement company engaged in clinical research, evidence synthesis, and practitioner education in maternal health.

Needed collaborates with researchers, clinicians, and public health stakeholders to advance understanding of women's nutritional needs across the reproductive lifespan, and to help translate that evidence into practice.

This effort reflects a broader community of mothers, practitioners, and advocates working to align science, policy, and care in maternal nutrition—because women deserve radically better.

Needed was founded by two mothers who discovered firsthand that women are nutritionally depleted at the most critical moments of their lives, including during pregnancy and breastfeeding. 

Needed exists to help close the gap between what science shows women need and what they actually receive through diet and supplementation. Today, Needed invests in and contributes to research, develops evidence-based nutritional supplement formulations, and advocates for raising the standard of nutritional care for all women.