"Healthy" can have a whole new meaning. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced its re-evaluation of its definition of the word "healthy" in the food and beverage industry. The amendment could potentially change how food in the country is being marketed.
The FDA currently allows food manufacturers to use the term "healthy" on packaging upon meeting specific criteria for nutrition.
The federal agency believes that it is time to reassess the current regulations on nutrition claims in light of the increasing research on the topic, said Lauren Kotwicki, a spokeswoman for the FDA.
This includes the definition of the industry term "healthy." The FDA is planning to reach out to the general public soon to solicit comments on the matter.
A Kind Move
In 2015, the agency told Kind Healthy Snacks to remove the term "healthy" on some of its products' packaging because of saturated fat levels.
The snack company noted that the fats come from nuts and sought the re-evaluation of the term "healthy."
The company also filed a Citizen Petition (PDF) on Dec. 1, 2015 wherein they argued that the fats from fruits, whole grains, vegetables and nuts should not be counted in the total fat tally.
The company noted that the current ruling prevents labeling of salmon, olives and avocados as healthy. Ironically, some foods such as fat-free puddings and sugary cereals are labeled "healthy."
"The FDA has now affirmed Kind can use healthy on our wrappers again - just as we had it before," Kind said. "And the news gets even bigger... The FDA has confirmed that it intends to re-evaluate the regulatory definition of 'healthy,' an action that was prompted in part by Kind."
Of course, this doesn't mean we will be seeing piles of food stripped of their "healthy" labels soon. Any changes made on current regulatory definitions can take years.
When the FDA gave its final ruling on gluten-free food labeling, the completion took six years.
The FDA added that just because some foods do not meet the set criteria for "healthy" doesn't mean they are "unhealthy."
Photo: Mike Mozart | Flickr
