You’d think that the big food processors would be glad to have firm standards and clear guidelines as to what constitutes ‘Healthy’ foods. But recently suggested regulatory updates and additions have left brand managers grasping at straws…
Food Processing industry up in arms over changes to ‘Healthy’ labelling…
New ‘healthy’ guidelines
Proposed new labelling guides were published last year and companies were asked for their feedback.
You can tell the major food processors and packagers have been caught unprepared by proposed new regulators on the use of the word ‘healthy’ on the packaging of their products. Those products use what is now considered too much added sugar, salt and fat. Until now, manufacturers have been allowed to use the term ‘healthy’ largely because the products also contain ingredients that, by themselves, are considered healthy.
The deadline for industry comments passed recently, and the FDA has been wading through tonnes of reactions.
Some industry objections
Some of the claims food companies are making about the new standards that would force them to re-label popular, big-selling products they’ve been billing as healthy for years sound positively nutty.
For instance:
Kellogg’s wrote, in a comment earlier this month, that a key new reg, “automatically disqualifies entire categories of nutrient dense foods.” As we learned in our nutrition courses at chef school, foods can be nutrient-dense, but they have to be the right kinds of nutrients.
Kellogg’s also claims that the key new reg in question infringes their products’ constitutional right to free expression. I wasn’t aware that products, brand entities or companies had such rights. Nevertheless, I’ll bet Kellogg’s already has lawyers working 24/7 to prove they do.
Further, Kellogg’s also complains that new regs unfairly malign whole classes of popular foods. I wasn’t aware that a food product’s popularity qualifies it to any kind of exemption from science-based health regulations. That’s like arguing that a toy is selling like hotcakes, so it shouldn’t be banned from sale just because certain small parts can fall off and choke young children. It’s a popular sort of non sequitur. For similar reasons, food manufacturers maintain it’s not fair to take away the ‘healthy’ labels from some of their most popular products – brands the makers have been building, and milking revenues from for decades.
Well, I have news for the manufacturers: Dad was right. Life isn’t fair.
New ‘Healthy’ symbol
As part of the development process for the new ‘Healthy’ labelling rules and regs, a new ‘Healthy’ symbol is being developed. Products will either be allowed to display it – or not.
Bottom line
The FDA’s reply to all industry complaints and objections is going to be essentially the same: “You can put all the healthy ingredients in a product you want. But if you also put in ingredients considered unhealthy – such as excess Sugar, Salt and Fat – you can’t label the product ‘Healthy’. Period.”
That should be clear enough for anyone in the food industry to understand.
~ Maggie J.