A federal committee on dietary guidelines is recommending a lower target for added sugars in the American diet – a move that is generating pushback from industry advocates.

The USDA’s 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, a volunteer panel of doctors and academics, has suggested an upper limit of 6% for total calories coming from added sugars. The previous limit was 10%.

The panel is trying to respond to America’s chronic weight problem, with an estimated 70% of adults above age 20 overweight or obese. It arrived at the 6% figure by constructing a theoretical healthy diet, calculating how many calories those foods would be, and allocating the rest to “discretionary” calories.

Trade groups for the soft drink and candy industries are criticizing the new guideline, saying the science hasn’t changed since it was set at 10%.

The panel’s work is part of a scheduled revision of the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which is updated every five years.