The FDA has redefined what counts as ‘healthy’ on food labels : Shots

With processed and packaged foods now making up more than half of America’s diet, the Food and Drug Administration has enacted new rules aimed at helping people make healthier choices at the grocery store.

The agency is Updated definition About what is considered healthy. Food companies will be able to voluntarily label their products as “healthy” on their packaging if they meet the new definition.

For a food to qualify as “healthy,” it must contain a certain amount of at least one of the food groups. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This includes dairy products, grains, fruits, vegetables, and more. protein foods Beans, red meat, nuts, seafood, soybeans, etc.

Additionally, added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat must be below certain limits for a product to be labeled as healthy.

Thirty years have passed since the agency updated its standards for what is considered healthy. In the 1990s, there was a big focus on limiting fats of all kinds, but as nutritional science has evolved, we’ve come to recognize the benefits of healthy fats found in nuts and seeds. I did. fatty fish And olive oil.

“Things like salmon and eggs didn’t qualify under the previous definition,” he explains. Claudine Kavanaugh Director of FDA’s Office of Nutrition and Food Labeling. “The science has changed,” she says. The focus is on reducing saturated fat, not total fat.

“This is the first rulemaking in 30 years to update these claims,” ​​Kavanaugh said.

It is hoped that the new rules will encourage the supply of healthy food. “I think healthy claims are a very quick signal to empower consumers,” Kavanaugh says.

She said it was a “priority” for authorities to release healthy icons and symbols that also appear on packaging that meet the new definition of health. The agency continues to work on this initiative.

In announcing new rules, the FDA jim jones Pointing out the harms of poor eating habits in the United States, the agency said, “FDA recognizes that diet-related diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, are the leading causes of disability and disease in the United States.” Ta.

Six in 10 U.S. adults have at least one chronic disease; According to the CDC. These diseases contribute to lower life expectancy in the United States compared to other high-income countries.

The new rules come as the federal government prepares to update its dietary guidelines. a Report released earlier this month The advisory committee paper also noted the risk of malnutrition, at a time when 73% of adults in the United States are obese or overweight and 38% of children over 12 have prediabetes.

nutrition expert marion nestle The New York University professor says the new rules could encourage food manufacturers to reformulate foods to reduce sodium, sugar and saturated fat.

Given the new limits for added sugars, many cereals won’t be able to be labeled as healthy without changing their formulations, she says.

“The hope is that rules like this will help Americans make healthier choices. Whether that will happen remains to be seen,” Nestlé says.

She says people should focus as much as possible on the basics of healthy eating. “I think a diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables, lots of real food, and restricts calories is the healthiest.”

The American Heart Association says the new standards for “health” are a step in the right direction. “It is past time to update requirements based on the latest nutritional science,” he says. Nancy Brown CEO. “Updated ‘health’ claims are an important update to food labels, but they are voluntary and may only appear on a small number of food and drink packages,” Brown says.

The group is asking the FDA to move forward with nutrition labeling on the front of packages to make information more visible. They say this will allow consumers to quickly and easily identify healthier food and beverage options.