Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Abuse of the term "Healthy"

Healthy?

I read the label on a loaf of bread that I purchased recently. The brand had the word "healthy" in it. Does that mean it's really healthy? The number 4 ingredient was "High-Fructose Corn Syrup". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup

Is it healthy?

What is the definition of "healthy" when used on a food label?
United States Department of Agriculture, Federal Drug Administration
Manufacturers are allowed to make a "healthy" claim on food labels. However, the FDA's definition of "healthy" differs from the USDA's definition because of the types of foods that are regulated by each agency. Under the FDA, a label may say "healthy" if the food is
  1. low in fat and saturated fat
  2. limited in amount of sodium and cholesterol
  3. provides at least 10 percent of one or more of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, protein, and fiber (for single-item foods).
Raw, canned, or frozen fruits and vegetables and certain cereal-grain products do not necessarily need to meet these criteria and can be labeled "healthy" if
  • they do not contain ingredients that change the nutritional profile
  • they conform to the standards of identity
    (1) enriched grain products which call for certain required ingredients (vitamins, minerals, protein, or fiber).
    (2) meal-type products (large enough [6 ounces] to be considered a meal) provide 10 percent of the Daily Value of two or three of these ingredients, in addition to meeting the other criteria
  • sodium content does not exceed 360 mg (milligrams) for individual foods and 480 mg for meal-type foods.

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