Here are some of the questions and concerns expressed:
• No one food can be deemed as "healthy." Overall
diet matters more than individual foods.
• The symbol could affect the sales of
foods with "healthy attributes" yet do
not meet the definition of "healthy."
• The "healthy" symbol will be used as a marketing
tool and could favor larger manufacturers.
• FDA should also warn about products
with "unhealthy" ingredients, employing
a traffic light or other warning system.
• The research on the symbols is premature
because FDA has not yet revised its
regulatory definition of "healthy."
• Symbols should not have the word "FDA" as that
could imply an endorsement of the product.
FDA will consider these and additional responses
from the second notice. The food industry is likely
to eventually see a "healthy" symbol that food
manufacturers can put on pack but that is still months,
probably years, in the future.
federal dietary guidelines. It would focus on healthy
dietary patterns and the food groups that comprise
them, the type of fat rather than the total amount of fat,
and the amount of added sugars in the diet.
In March 2017, FDA held a public meeting. More
than 100 industry and consumer advocates testified,
including the Specialty Food Association. SFA said that
"'healthy' on a food label should recognize and promote
eating patterns and life situations, in a complete diet
or lifestyle context rather than in a nutrient or single
food-focused context. What we eat, how and when we
eat, even with whom we eat, and our lifestyle influences
what is 'healthy' for a group or an individual."
The 'Healthy' Symbol
The FDA also began to develop a symbol that the
industry can voluntarily use on food products that meet
an updated "healthy" definition. FDA reviewed front-
of-package nutrition-related symbols and conducted a
series of focus groups to test concepts and draft FOP
symbols.
In May 2021, FDA issued a procedural notice on the
preliminary quantitative consumer research it plans to
conduct. A second notice was published in March 2022,
with comments due in May.
The food industry is
likely to eventually
see a "healthy"
symbol that food
manufacturers can
put on pack but
that is still months,
probably years, in
the future.
SUMMER 2022 71
Ron Tanner is president of Tanner Food Group
