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

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.