‘Critical for the future of our country’: FDA updates definition of ‘healthy’ foods

Key takeaways:

• The FDA is redefining “healthy” to ensure consumers have accurate, up-to-date nutrition information on food labels.
• The new definition requires products meet limits on sodium, added sugars and saturated fats.

The FDA has updated the definition of “healthy,” so food labels will have to abide by new rules to earn the title, according to a press release.

In the United States, there is a worsening crisis of diet-related, preventable chronic diseases, and this “requires immediate action,” according to the release. Cancer, diabetes and heart disease — all diet-related diseases — are among the leading causes of disease and disability in the U.S., “and contribute to America’s status as having the lowest life expectancy among large, high-income countries.” Updating the requirements for the “healthy” claim will ensure that people can access more accurate, up-to-date and complete nutrition information on food labels.

The new definition requires products to meet set limits on sodium, added sugar and saturated fat, as well as have a set amount of food from at least one food group: grains, dairy, protein, fruits and vegetables. According to the release, “more foods that are key to healthy eating patterns” — like water, olive oil, salmon and other higher fat fish, seeds and nuts — will now qualify for the updated claim, “which could make them easier for consumers to identify when shopping.”

FDA commissioner Robert M. Califf, MD, said in the release it is “critical for the future of our country that food be a vehicle for wellness.”

“Improving access to nutrition information is an important public health effort the FDA can undertake to help people build healthy eating patterns,” Califf said. “It is vital that we focus on the key drivers to combat chronic disease, like healthy eating. Now, people will be able to look for the ‘healthy’ claim to help them find foundational, nutritious foods for themselves and their families.”

The new definition is aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other current nutrition science, according to the release. Previous research has indicated that 90% of people exceed daily recommended sodium limits, 77% exceed daily saturated fat recommendations, 63% exceed added sugars recommendations and 79% have a diet pattern low in fruits, vegetables and dairy.

Jim Jones, FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods, said in the release that “food labeling can be a powerful tool for change.”

“Food labeling, like ‘healthy,’ may help foster a healthier food supply if manufacturers choose to reformulate their products to meet the new definition,” Jones said in the release. “There’s an opportunity here for industry and others to join us in making ‘healthy’ a ubiquitous, quick signal to help people more easily build nutritious diets.”

The FDA also announced it “welcomes the opportunity to work with all interested parties to support the use of the updated ‘healthy’ claim.” As part of the HHS, the FDA is already partnered with Instacart to ensure people shopping online can find products with the “healthy” claim. It is also in the process of developing a symbol to indicate that a product meets the new criteria.

According to the release, this step is an important part of a “government-wide approach to improving nutrition and reducing diet-related chronic diseases in the U.S.”

The government’s actions — or lack thereof — to improve nutrition in the U.S. has been a hot topic recently.

Not only has the assumed future Secretary of Health and Human Services, who has been critical of the FDA in the past, pledged to “make America healthy again,” but just 2 weeks ago, Califf was questioned about the FDA’s role in the country’s obesity epidemic.

Criticism stretched across the aisle, as senators such as Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, asked about regulations for the food and beverage industry. During his testimony, Califf said the agency had just completed “the largest reorganization” in its history “in no small part, so that we could take on the issues of nutrition and chemicals in our food supply.”

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