FDA proposes new rules for packaged foods to qualify as ‘healthy’

Sep 30, 2022

Mahmoud Bennett Social Media Producer

By Mahmoud Bennett (Social Media Producer)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is proposing updated criteria for when foods can be labeled with the term “healthy” on their packaging. This proposed rule would align the definition of the claim “healthy” with current nutrition science, the updated Nutrition Facts label and the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the FDA said. Under the current rule, about 5% of packaged foods have the label “healthy”.

“Healthy food can lower our risk for chronic disease. But too many people may not know what constitutes healthy food,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “FDA’s move will help educate more Americans to improve health outcomes, tackle health disparities and save lives”. Under the new proposal, packaged products may carry the “healthy” label if they meet specified limits on saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.

More than 80% of people in the U.S. are not eating enough vegetables, fruit and dairy. And most people consume unhealthy amounts of added sugars, saturated fat and sodium in their diet, the FDA said.

“Too many people may not know what constitutes healthy food. FDA’s move will help educate more Americans,” Becerra said.

A change long backed by companies

While this change will affect only a handful of products, the move would be a win for companies like Kind, the maker of the popular nut bars. They have been pushing the FDA for years to update nutrient content claim regulations. The company has argued that previous regulations allowed some companies to tout specific nutrients in sugary cereals and sodium-flooded products that could have misled the public into believing those foods were healthy.

Diseases relating to diet are the leading cause of death in the United States, according to data published in JAMA. Moreover, this push to update the “healthy” claim could could lead to more healthy foods in the marketplace if manufacturers produce more products that meet the new definition, per the FDA.

The agency said it is also looking to devise a logo for manufacturers to display on products that meet the FDA’s healthy criteria to help consumers easily identify and select the right items.

Tags: FDA, Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

MAHMOUD BENNETT:

YOU KNOW HOW THE FDA HAS THAT GREEN ORGANIC LABEL THEY THROW ON PACKAGING TO TELL YOU IF IT’S CERTIFIED ORGANIC?

WELL A SIMILAR SYSTEM COULD SOON COME TO PACKAGED FOODS THAT ARE BRANDED QUOTE UN QUOTE HEALTHY

UNDER A NEW PROPOSAL THE FDA IS UPDATING ITS DEFINITION OF THE TERM HEALTHY AND MANUFACTURERS WILL NEED TO MEET CERTAIN GUIDELINES IN ORDER TO USE IT ON ANY OF THEIR LABELING

THAT WOULD MEAN COMPLYING WITH RECOMMENDED LIMITS ON SATURATED FAT, SODIUM AND ADDED SUGARS

WHICH ACCORDING TO THE FDA PEOPLE ARE CONSUMING IN UNHEALTHY AMOUNTS – THEY SAY 80% OF THE U.S. POPULATION AREN’T EATING ENOUGH VEGETABLES, FRUIT AND DAIRY

IN PRACTICE THIS MOVE WOULD MEAN MORE FOODS LIKE NUTS AND SEEDS WOULD BE PERMITTED TO CLAIM THE LABEL HEALTHY – WHILE FOODS LIKE CEREALS WITH HIGHER THAN THE RECOMMENDED ADDED SUGAR, FAT OR SODIUM LIMITS PER SERVING *EVEN IF THEY SEEM HEALTHY* CAN’T MAKE THE CLAIM

THE MOVE IS A WIN FOR COMPANIES LIKE KIND – THE MAKER OF THE POPULAR NUT BARS – THEY’VE BEEN PUSHING THE FDA FOR YEARS TO UPDATE ITS DEFINITIONS ARGUING THAT PREVIOUS REGULATIONS ALLOWED SOME COMPANIES TO LOOSELY USE THE TERM AND MISLEAD THE PUBLIC

RESEARCH SHOW THAT DISEASES RELATING TO DIET ARE THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES – THE FDA SAYS THIS CHANGE COULD LEAD TO HEALTHIER FOODS IN THE MARKETPLACE