NEW YORK – CNBC reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to make it easier for consumers to know whether the food they're eating is good for them and encourage companies to make products that are more nutritious.
Per the news source, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb commented at the National Food Policy Conference that the agency is planning to explore how food products would be considered healthy and may create an icon or symbol to label such products that meet a possible new definition. The FDA may also consider what health claims food products can make and how manufacturers can list ingredients.
The multiyear Nutrition Innovation Strategy plan seeks to cut obesity rates and reduce the prevalence of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
"We’ll use our tools and authorities to create better ways of communicating nutrition information to consumers so they can be empowered to make good choices. And we’ll advance new ways to make science-based claims that provide more incentives for food manufacturers to produce products with more healthful attributes," Gottlieb said in his prepared remarks.
The FDA also wants input on the word "healthy,” which Gottlieb says is food claim that the FDA believes is ripe for change.
“The agency has already signaled its intention to update the criteria for this claim and we’ve held public meetings and reviewed comments,” he said. “Having a one-word claim such as ‘healthy’ that’s based on current science would make it even easier for busy consumers, including me, to make choices that can help build more healthful diets.”
Gottlieb continued that the agency has traditionally focused primarily on the nutrients contained in food in considering what is healthy; however, “people eat foods, not nutrients…This is why we’re asking the important question of whether a modernized definition of ‘healthy’ should go beyond nutrients to better reflect dietary patterns and food groups, like whole grains, low fat dairy, fruits and vegetables and healthy oils.”
Broadening the concept of what it means to be healthy may also better meet consumer expectations and empower them to make better decisions.
With respect to menu-labeling regulations, Gottlieb noted that FDA will “soon finalize that guidance,” which is scheduled to take effect on May 7.