FDA’s rotten definition of “healthy” food is finally getting tossed

A revision to the definition of "healthy" on food packaging was proposed by the FDA on Wednesday.

Americans are likely to still face uncertainty about healthy food choices even after the new definition is critiqued. The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health and a national strategy to improve US nutrition and reduce hunger is an improvement.

The FDA allows food manufacturers to label their products as "healthy" based on the maximum and minimum amount of certain vitamins and minerals. Saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and salt have universal maximums and are required to provide at least 10 percent of the daily value for one or more of the following vitamins.

Foods with a lot of added sugars are eligible for a "healthy" label because they meet other qualifications. Some white breads are questionable in terms of their nutrition. In the face of current, evidence-backed healthiness of plant-based foods, whole foods such as avocados are ineligible due to fat content. Plain water can't be labeled healthy.

New rule

The FDA warned the maker of Kind bars that they couldn't use the term "healthy" on their bars because they had too much saturated fat. Under the current rule, nuts and seeds are not eligible for the healthy label. The company pushed back and the FDA said it would update the definition.

The FDA is taking a moreholistic approach to evaluate foods, saying that they could be labeled healthy if they are.

• Contain a certain meaningful amount of food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups (e.g., fruit, vegetable, dairy, etc.) recommended by the Dietary Guidelines.
•  Adhere to specific limits for certain nutrients, such as saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.

For this last point, the thresholds for the nutrient limits would vary based on the type of food or food group a product contains, for example, an olive oil-based product has a higher saturated fat limit than a vegetable-based product. There is a table on the proposed limits for food groups.

An example of a cereals that would meet the new "healthy" definition was offered by the FDA.

The FDA wants the change to make it easier for consumers to find better foods at the grocery store and for food manufacturers to make their products fit the new definition.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement that the revision is an important step towards achieving a number of nutrition-related priorities. It can lead to a better food supply.

Needed change

Nutrition-related goals are more important than they used to be. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of states with a high rate of adult obesity has more than doubled in the last year. Some states and territories have high rates. There has been an increase in childhood Obesity during the Pandemic. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last year, the percentage of 5- to 11-year-olds with "overweight" or "obesity" rose from 36.2 percent in the year before the Pandemic hit to 44.7% by January 2021.

High blood pressure, sleep apnea, heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, and other serious health conditions can be caused by being obese. Heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19 were the top causes of death in 2020.

Diet is just one part of a multifactorial health condition called Obesity. There is a lot of data to suggest that people in the US are not eating well. According to the FDA, 75 percent of Americans have diet low in fruits, vegetables, and dairy, 77 percent get too much saturated fat, and 63 percent eat too much sugars.

In one fell swoop, the FDA's new definition for healthy will not solve the problems. According to some health advocates and experts, it may have minimal effects, and that package labeling that warns of unhealthy content may be more effective than labeling healthy foods. The current definition of "healthy" is not in line with evidence based recommendations.

The company was celebrating the proposed update according to the CEO. A rule that reflects current nutrition science is a win for public health, and that's a win for everyone.