The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule to update the definition of the nutrient content claim "healthy."

"There is an ever-growing crisis of preventable, diet-related chronic diseases in the U.S. that requires immediate action. The updated 'healthy' claim marks an important step in fulfilling the FDA's nutrition priorities, which are part of a whole-of-government approach to address this crisis. This rule will help ensure that consumers have access to more complete, accurate, and up-to-date nutrition information on food labels," FDA said.

The "healthy" claim has been updated to help consumers find foods that are the foundation of a healthy dietary pattern and could also result in the development of healthier foods. Manufacturers can voluntarily use the "healthy" claim on a food package if a product meets the updated definition.

"It's critical for the future of our country that food be a vehicle for wellness. Improving access to nutrition information is an important public health effort the FDA can undertake to help people build healthy eating patterns," said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. "It is vital that we focus on the key drivers to combat chronic disease, like healthy eating. Now, people will be able to look for the 'healthy' claim to help them find foundational, nutritious foods for themselves and their families."

To qualify as "healthy" under the updated definition, food products must contain a certain amount of a food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups outlined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans including fruits, vegetables, protein foods, dairy, and grains. Foods that qualify for the "healthy" claim must also meet certain limits on saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. Under these changes, more foods that are key to healthy eating patterns will qualify for the "healthy" claim, which could make them easier for consumers to identify when shopping. These foods include nuts and seeds, higher fat fish such as salmon, olive oil, and water.

The updated definition for the "healthy" claim aligns with current nutrition science, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the scientific evidence supporting the updated Nutrition Facts label, which now requires the declaration of added sugars. For example, the updated "healthy" claim definition for the first time sets certain limits for added sugars.

"Diet-related diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, are the leading cause of disability and disease in the U.S. and contribute to America's status as having the lowest life expectancy among large, high-income countries. Data show that 77% of people exceed the current dietary recommendations for saturated fat; 79% of people have dietary patterns low in dairy, fruits, and vegetables; 63% of people exceed current dietary recommendations for added sugars; and 90% of people exceed the daily recommended limits for sodium," FDA said.

"Food labeling can be a powerful tool for change. Food labeling, like 'healthy,' may help foster a healthier food supply if manufacturers choose to reformulate their products to meet the new definition," said FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones. "There's an opportunity here for industry and others to join us in making 'healthy' a ubiquitous, quick signal to help people more easily build nutritious diets."

The FDA is also continuing to develop a "healthy" symbol that manufacturers could use to indicate their food meets the criteria of "healthy." The symbol would be another way, in addition to using the term "healthy," to convey to consumers that a food meets the "healthy" claim criteria. Symbols may be particularly helpful for those who are less familiar with nutrition information to identify foods that can be the foundation of a healthy eating pattern. 

Roberta Wagner, senior vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs at the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), released the following statement in response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) final rule defining “healthy”:

 “With this rule, FDA missed an important opportunity to help shoppers at all income levels choose healthier food options for their families. Instead, the rule is so narrow that few foods, including many nutrient dense dairy products, will be able to bear the claim. FDA notes 79% of Americans are not eating enough dairy or getting dairy’s 13 essential nutrients, and yet this new rule puts nutritious dairy further out of reach for Americans of all backgrounds and income levels. We recommend FDA rethink their approach to ensure a wide variety of nutrient dense foods accessible to Americans from all backgrounds can bear the claim. We urge FDA reopen this rule for comment with the intent of creating practical policy that benefits all people and families.”