The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) new rules update what it means for a food to be labeled “healthy” for the first time in 30 years, a move that is in line with current nutritional science and that consumers should The purpose is to help you navigate better. label.
The “healthy” claim “empowers consumers” and helps them identify nutritious meals that are consistent with dietary recommendations, the agency said.
“Ensuring food as a means to health is critical to our nation's future. Improving access to nutritional information is a step the FDA can take to help people develop healthy eating patterns.” “This is an important public health effort,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement.
Under the final rule, foods labeled as “healthy” must contain a certain amount of food from at least one of the major groups, including fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein. . For the first time, foods must adhere to specified limits for saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.
Nuts and seeds, salmon and other high-fat fish, olive oil, and even water are examples of foods that previously did not qualify to claim “healthy” but now do.
The change will mean that foods such as sugary cereals, sweetened yogurt, white bread and some granola bars will no longer be called “healthy.”
The FDA said the program is voluntary and there are no standardized labels that companies must use.
However, companies will not be able to label their food as “healthy” unless it meets the new standards. They have until 2028 to comply.
“Food labeling can be a powerful tool for change,” Jim Jones, FDA's deputy commissioner for human foods, said in a statement. “Food labels such as ‘healthy’ could help promote a healthier food supply if manufacturers choose to reformulate their products to meet the new definition.”
According to the FDA, diet-related chronic diseases are a leading cause of death and disability in the United States, contributing to the country's status as having the lowest life expectancy among large high-income countries.
Jones told reporters at a briefing that the FDA regularly monitors the food supply and that once the rule goes into effect, it will crack down on companies that don't comply with the new standards.
The changes come after President-elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., slammed the food industry for poisoning children with highly processed foods. I was disappointed. If confirmed, Kennedy is likely to make regulating the industry a top priority as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
Jones said Kennedy's comments “seem very much in line” with the agency's nutritional priorities, such as salt-reduction efforts and new “healthy” guidelines.
“But until we have new leadership with a new policy direction, it is too early to say exactly how consistent these activities will be with that goal,” he said.
