What criteria does the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) use to define foods as “healthy”?
For an individual food item to be called “healthy,” FDA requires that it be low in fat and saturated fat, and meet limits for sodium and cholesterol. In addition, the food item must contain at least 10 percent per serving of the Daily Value of one or more of the following nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, fiber, and protein. However, as a result of a recent modification in the “healthy” definition by FDA, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are exempt from the minimum nutrient requirement. Q: Why did the FDA modify the definition of “healthy”? A: The FDA first published the regulations for the claim “healthy” in May 1994. The first definition established the sodium, cholesterol, fat and saturated fat limits, and the minimum nutrient content criteria. At the time, however, FDA specified that raw fruits and vegetables could be labeled “healthy” without meeting the 10 percent nutrient contribution requirement. In June 1994, the Food Products Association (FPA) petitioned
