CNN – The US Food and Drug Administration has finalized new standards that foods must meet before they can be labeled as “healthy.”
Requirements now include limits on saturated fat, sodium and added sugars.
“Healthy” foods must also contain a certain amount of food from at least one of the key food groups outlined in the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, such as fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy.
Some foods that could previously carry the healthy label — such as white bread and heavily sweetened cereal and yogurt — will no longer qualify. But nuts and seeds, salmon and olive oil and some peanut butters and canned fruits and vegetables are among those that will newly qualify.
The final rule, announced Thursday, is the first major change to the standards since they were introduced 30 years ago. The agency says that the updates better align with the latest science on nutrition and can help consumers make better food choices.
“It’s 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,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said in a statement.
“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.”
Most people in the US have diets that exceed dietary recommendations for saturated fat, added sugars and sodium, according to the FDA, and most individual diets are low in fruits and vegetables.
“The FDA recognizes that diet-related diseases, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes, are the leading cause of disability and disease in the United States” …
