FDA redefines ‘healthy’

“The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec. 19 issued its final rule on updating what qualifies for the “healthy” nutrient content claim that manufacturers may use voluntarily on food packages.

The rule marked the first major change to the claim since the FDA introduced it in 1994. Changes included limits on added sugars, which were not mentioned in the 1994 rule, and limits on saturated fat based on food groups…

Dairy products are allowed 5% or less of the Daily Value of added sugars. Courtney Gaine, PhD, president and chief executive officer of The Sugar Association, took issue with the added sugars update.

“The Sugar Association supports the Dietary Guidelines recommendation to limit added sugars to 10% of total calories, but the new ‘healthy’ definition goes well beyond that recommendation and arbitrarily excludes many foods containing added sugars that are key providers of essential nutrients, such as fruit yogurt,” she said. “With this rule, FDA is once again incentivizing further use of industrial additives like low- and no-calorie sweeteners in food, which have proliferated over the last several decades, going well beyond their well-known and easily identifiable role in beverages and now showing up as unidentifiable chemical names buried on ingredient lists for foods, including in food for children.”

Read the full article here: https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/27411-fda-redefines-healthy