The United States for the first time in 30 years revised the criteria for labeling products as “healthy”, excluding products such as white bread from the list, and adding options rich in nutrients, including eggs and salmon. This decision is associated with a growing crisis caused by preventive chronic diseases associated with nutrition requiring immediate measures.
Updated requirements include a significant amount of one or more recommended grocery groups, such as vegetables, proteins, dairy products or cereals, as well as strict limits on the content of saturated fats, sodium and added sugars. The changes affected the approach to fat: the emphasis has shifted from the general restriction of fats to the reduction of saturated fats, while the advantages of healthy fats are emphasized. Now the category of “healthy” includes avocados, nuts, seeds, fatty fish, eggs and olive oil.
According to statistics, 77% of Americans exceed the recommended norms for saturated fats, 63% – for added sugar, and 90% consume too much sodium. At the same time, the majority of the population consumes not enough dairy products, fruits and vegetables.
Changes also relate to products with a high content of added sugars, such as sweet bars, fruit snacks, enriched breakfasts and yogurts with sweeteners, which will no longer meet the requirements for the “Healthy” labeling.
To simplify the choice of consumers, a new symbol is developed, which will indicate the correspondence of the product with updated criteria. However, the terms of its implementation have not yet been determined.
Critics note that the timely introduction of these changes can significantly affect a decrease in the level of diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer, which are the main causes of disability and mortality in the country.