NEW YORK -- Snack bar maker KIND is urging the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to update its regulations around the term “healthy” when used as a nutrient content claim in food labeling.
The company has filed a Citizen Petition with the goal of addressing outdated regulations, it said.
The petition requests better alignment between food labeling regulations, nutrition science and federal dietary guidelines. It calls attention to the importance of eating real foods made with wholesome and nutrient-rich ingredients as part of a healthy diet.
Currently, the FDA mandates that the term “healthy” only be used as a nutrient content claim to describe foods that contain 3g or less total fat and 1g or less of saturated fat per serving, with the exception of fish and meat, which are required by the regulation to have 5g or less total fat and 2g or less saturated fat per serving. Today’s regulations preclude nutrient-rich foods such as nuts, avocados, olives and salmon from using the term “healthy” as a nutrient content claim.
“Our goal is to highlight the importance of following a healthy diet that includes foods made with wholesome and nutrient-dense ingredients,” said Daniel Lubetzky, founder and CEO of KIND. “The current regulations were created with the best intentions when the available science supported dietary recommendations limiting total fat intake; however, current science tells us that the unsaturated fats in nutrient-dense foods like nuts, seeds and certain fish are beneficial to overall health.”
In addition to requesting updates to the current nutrient content claim regulations, KIND is also asking the FDA to implement a framework for regulating dietary guidance statements. Dietary guidance statements are different from nutrient content claims and would provide simple communications about the overall nutritional benefits of a food as part of a healthy diet. One example of a dietary guidance statement could be “eating nuts has been shown to be part of a healthy diet,” the company said.
In drafting the petition, KIND sought support and advice from leading nutrition experts.
KIND’s snacks are gluten free and are made from non-genetically engineered ingredients. It offers seven different snack lines: KINDFruit & Nut and KIND PLUS, two lines of delicious whole nut & fruit bars; KIND Nuts & Spices, a line of whole nut and spice bars that have 5g of sugar or less; KIND Healthy Grains Clusters, blends of five super grains; KIND Healthy Grains Bars, a line of crunchy and chewy granola bars; and STRONG & KIND, a line of savory bars featuring 10g of protein. KINDBREAKFAST are soft baked with a crispy outside, providing sustained energy from whole grains.
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