(CNN) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has finalized new standards that foods must meet before they can be labeled "healthy."
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The requirements now include limits on saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. "Healthy" foods must also contain a certain amount of food from 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 previously could carry the healthy label — like white bread and heavily sugared cereals and yogurt — will no longer qualify. But nuts and seeds, salmon and olive oil, and some peanut butter 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 introduced 30 years ago. The agency says the updates are better aligned with the latest nutritional science and can help consumers make better food choices.
“It is critical to our country’s future that food be a vehicle for health. Improving access to nutritional information is a critical public health effort that Ak Digital can undertake to help people build healthy eating patterns,” Dr. Robert Kelf, Ak’s digital commissioner, said in a statement. “It is essential that we focus on key drivers of chronic disease, such as healthy eating. Now, people will be able to find ‘healthy’ claims to help them find basic, nutritious foods for themselves and their families.
According to AKdigital, most people in the United States eat a diet that exceeds dietary recommendations for saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium, and most individual diets are low in fruits and vegetables.
“AKdigital recognizes that diet-related diseases, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes, are the leading causes of disability and illness in the United States and contribute to America’s status as the country with the lowest life expectancy among large, high-income countries,” said Jim Jones, AKDigital’s deputy commissioner for human nutrition, on Thursday. “Food labeling can be a powerful tool for change.”
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The use of “healthy” labeling is voluntary for food manufacturers. Foods that meet the new requirements will begin using the label as early as next year. Foods that do not currently meet the new rule’s standards will be able to do so, while foods that do not currently meet the new rule’s standards have three years to do so.
“This latest claim could also lead to the delivery of healthier foods if manufacturers choose to improve their products to meet the new definition,” Jones said. “We hope the industry and others will join us in our efforts to use the term ‘healthy’ on food packaging as a quick indicator to help people make nutritious choices.”
Ak dgital is also working on a symbol that could be placed on packages to help consumers easily identify foods considered healthy and is developing a plan for nutrition labeling to be placed on the front of food packaging to complement more in-depth labels. On the back
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The nutrition initiatives were part of a national strategy outlined by the Biden administration at the 2022 Hunger, Nutrition, and Health Conference.
“The updated definition should give consumers more confidence when they see a ‘healthy’ claim while grocery shopping, and we hope it will encourage food manufacturers to develop new, healthier products that are eligible to use the ‘healthy’ claim,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, in a statement.
However, Brown said the language may only appear on select packages.
“That’s why AKDigital’s work on front-of-pack nutrition labeling is so important. A front-of-pack labeling system based on the best available science and consumer research will provide consumers with valuable information about the nutritional value of foods and beverages and help them quickly and easily identify healthier options,” Brown said. “We urge the administration to move forward with the proposed rule for a front-of-pack nutrition labeling system.”
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