--- title: The FDA is redefining healthy food - The Hustle description: As our knowledge of nutrition evolved, the FDA’s definition of “healthy” failed to keep pace. That’s changing. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1955656434-HS-News-Brief_2022-09-30T021112.160Z.webp --- # The FDA is redefining healthy food ![Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Juliet Bennett Rylah](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/juliet-bennett-rylah) [Juliet Bennett Rylah Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/JBRylah) Published: September 30, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 Eating healthy is confusing. Fruit? Sure. Fruit snacks? Not so much. ![The FDA is redefining healthy food](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1955656434-HS-News-Brief_2022-09-30T021112.160Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1955656434-HS-News-Brief_2022-09-30T021112.160Z.webp) As an FDA-regulated term, “healthy” is outdated. That’s why this week the FDA finally proposed [new criteria](https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-proposes-updated-definition-healthy-claim-food-packages-help-improve-diet-reduce-chronic-disease) for manufacturers that want to use the term on US packaging. #### **Back in 1994…** … the FDA [released](https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/28/health/fda-healthy-label-proposed-rule-wellness/index.html) its first definition of “healthy.” It largely focused on fat content, meaning a sugary cereal could pass, but not salmon or avocados. In 2015, the FDA [told](https://time.com/4324042/kind-bars-healthy-fda/) Kind it couldn’t call some of its snack bars “healthy” due to their saturated fat content. Kind argued it came from nuts. This led to a push for an updated definition, and a public hearing on the matter occurred in 2017. #### **Updated rules…** … would [automatically](https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2022-20975.pdf) count water and raw whole fruits and veggies as healthy. Other [products](https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-proposes-updated-definition-healthy-claim-food-packages-help-improve-diet-reduce-chronic-disease) would have to: - Contain a meaningful amount of food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups (e.g., fruit, vegetables, protein, dairy, etc.)” as recommended by the federal [Dietary Guidelines for Americans](https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/). - Fall under limits for sugar, sodium, and saturated fats. Nuts and seeds would *not* count toward saturated fat limits. **Example: **Cereal would need three-quarter ounces of whole grains, and less than 2.5 grams of added sugars. #### **Would it make us healthier?** The healthy label is voluntary, and ~5% of foods have it, [per](https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/28/health/fda-healthy-label-proposed-rule-wellness/index.html) *CNN*. It’s unclear if manufacturers would be motivated to reformulate products to meet tighter parameters. The FDA has also proposed slapping a symbol on healthy foods to help shoppers quickly identify them. But the Center for Science in the Public Interest thinks it’d work better to warn consumers of particularly *unhealthy* foods. 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