Government Seeks to Modernize ‘Healthy’

The Food and Drug Administration is reevaluating its 1990s definition of ‘healthy’ food.

May 12, 2016

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to solicit public and expert comment to come up with a new definition of what counts as a "healthy" food, reports NPR.

The FDA said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal that in light of evolving nutrition research and other forthcoming food-labeling rules, “We believe now is an opportune time to re-evaluate regulations concerning nutrient content claims, generally, including the term ‘healthy.’”

Food companies, such as Kind LLC, have also urged the FDA to modernize its definition of healthy, which was last updated in 1994. NPR notes that Kind petitioned the FDA following the agency’s compliant about the use of “healthy and tasty” on Kind’s fruit and nut bars. After reviewing the complaint, the FDA is now comfortable with the use of the phrase.

“We very much hope the FDA will change the definition of healthy, so that you don’t end up in a silly situation where a toaster pastry or sugary cereal can be considered healthy and a piece of salmon or bunch of almonds cannot,” said Kind CEO Daniel Lubetzky in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

NPR notes that the FDA’s current definition of healthy, established in 1994, is “a holdover from the era when dietary fat was vilified.” Thomas Sherman, an associate professor at Georgetown University, commented that "Low in fat used to mean healthy," and that “high in fat had a pejorative context to it." He notes that there has been “an evolution in understanding—and awareness” among consumers that high-sugar foods can have negative health consequences, and that plant-based fats can be healthful.

"Nuts have healthy fats ... that we know are good for cardiovascular health and mental health and are good sources of protein," Sherman told NPR, noting that although nuts are calorie-dense and consumers should pay attention to portion size, overall “nuts are a wonderful component of our diet.”

By the current FDA definition, food can only be marketed as healthy if it meets five criteria: fat, saturated fat, sodium, cholesterol and beneficial nutrients, such as vitamin C or Calcium. The levels differ by food category, but snacks generally can’t have more than 3 grams of fat, writes the Wall Street Journal. The news source adds that in the 1990s, sugar “wasn’t on the FDA’s, or most nutritionists,’ radar.”

“Scientific evidence now clearly points to the type of fat, not just the amount of fat, that we consume as the key,” Connie Diekman, registered dietitian and nutrition director for Washington University in St. Louis, told the WSJ.

Before the FDA can issue a new “healthy” definition for food, legislation and the regulatory process need to take place, so the process to change a 24-year-old definition could take years.

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