What Food Can Be Labeled ‘Healthy’? FDA Proposes Update To Rules

The Washington Post: The FDA Issues New Guidelines On What Foods Can Be Labeled 'Healthy' 
The Food and Drug Administration announced new rules Wednesday for nutrition labels that can go on the front of food packages to indicate that they are “healthy.” Under the proposal, manufacturers can label their products “healthy” if they contain a meaningful amount of food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups (such as fruit, vegetable or dairy) recommended by the dietary guidelines. They must also adhere to specific limits for certain nutrients, such as saturated fat, sodium and added sugars. For example, a cereal would need to contain three-quarters of an ounce of whole grains and no more than 1 gram of saturated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium and 2.5 grams of added sugars per serving for a food manufacturer to use the word “healthy” on the label. (Reiley, 9/28)

Stat: FDA Proposes New Rules For Which Foods Can Be Called ‘Healthy’
The change is a major win for certain food makers, including the company behind KIND bars, that had long been pushing the agency to update its label policies. KIND first filed a petition pushing the FDA to update its “healthy” label seven years ago, arguing that the previous regulations allowed some companies to tout specific nutrients in sugary cereals and sodium-flooded products that could have misled the public into believing those foods were healthy. (Castillo, 9/28)

The Hill: FDA Proposes New Rules For ‘Healthy’ Label On Food Packaging 
According to the FDA, the new rules would change the definition of “healthy” to reflect “current nutrition science.” Under these new rules, more foods like nuts, seeds and certain oils would be permitted to be labelled as “healthy.” If the FDA’s proposed rules are adopted, foods labeled as “healthy” would need to have “meaningful” amounts of at least one food group or subgroup that is recommended by the federal government’s Dietary Guidelines. The products would also have to meet certain limitations on nutrients like saturated fat, sodium and added sugars. (Choi, 9/28)

In other news about healthy eating —

The Washington Post: What Are Ultra-Processed Foods And Why Are They So Bad For You? 
Is your diet ultra-processed? In many households, ultra-processed foods are mainstays at the kitchen table. They include products that you may not even think of as junk food such as breakfast cereals, muffins, snack bars and sweetened yogurts. Soft drinks and energy drinks count, too. ... Yet in dozens of large studies, scientists have found that ultra-processed foods are linked to higher rates of obesity, heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer. A recent study of more than 22,000 people found that people who ate a lot of ultra-processed foods had a 19 percent higher likelihood of early death and a 32 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease compared with people who ate few ultra-processed foods. (O'Connor, 9/27)

The Wall Street Journal: The Science-Backed Strategies That Will Actually Help You Eat Better
We know what we should eat. Trouble is, most of us have a hard time sticking to it. Researchers are racing to understand what pushes people to make healthier food choices. They are finding that broad resolutions to “eat better” are less effective than setting a couple of smaller rules, that eating with other people is helpful and that grocery shopping online can be better than going to the store. (Petersen, 9/28)

Bloomberg: Instacart To Expand Access To Healthy Food To Underserved Communities
Instacart Inc. is launching an initiative to expand access to nutritious food for underserved communities. The largest online grocery-delivery company in the US is partnering with health organizations to make food more affordable and encourage people to make healthy choices. (Shahidullah, 9/28)