In light of evolving research, the FDA said it believes “now is an opportune time to re-evaluate the regulations concerning nutrition content claims, generally, including the term ‘healthy.'” The agency plans to solicit public comment on the matter in the near future, said Lauren Kotwicki, an FDA representative, in an email.
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Food manufacturers are now required by the FDA to have a very low-fat content if they want to label their products as “healthy”. A warning letter was sent to Kind a year ago, stating that their fruit and nut bars can not be labeled as “healthy”.
The criteria used to determine if a food qualifies for a “natural” claim should focus primarily on whether the product’s ingredients are synthetic/artificial or natural and on the degree of processing the ingredients have undergone.
“The important thing is that the consumers and the industry self-regulated, and the media regulate, if you see something that’s not ethical or correct that the market polices it”, he said. That government policy statement scaled back previous recommendations on dietary cholesterol and accounted for an updated scientific distinction between healthy fats – such as nuts – from regular fats.
The FDA’s re-evaluating its definition of healthy and what products are allowed to use that word on packaging.
“The problem, of course, is that the foodscape can change quickly, but FDA regulations change very slowly”, said David Katz, director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, according to the Journal. The company also sent the FDA something called a “citizens petition”, signed by 16 nutritional experts, which challenged the FDA’s standards regarding the use of fats, in particular healthy fats.
How is it possible a sugary cereal could be considered healthy but not almonds, avocados and salmon?
That’s what the Food and Drug Administration has told American consumers for more than 20 years, but clearly something is not right. But with the FDA’s latest stance on consumers limiting their sugar intake, low-fat products that are high in simple carbohydrates and sugar or artificial sweeteners may lose the ability to label themselves as “healthy” under the FDA’s new definition.
Last year, the FDA informed Kind LLC they needed to reevaluate the claims on their food labels, providing a list of quibbles in a public letter.
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“Given pending citizen petitions on the issue-and FDA’s clear indication that it is going to seek out comments regarding its healthy regulations and conform the regulations to current nutrition science-litigation challenging healthy labeling should stand down in favor of FDA’s primary jurisdiction”, defense attorney Dale Giali told Bloomberg BNA May 10. “People do not eat food groups and nutrients in isolation but rather in combination”, the executive summary states.
