During a wide-ranging webinar, FDA commissioner Robert Califf listed two “very clear” goals for the agency this year — completion of regulations for front-of-package nutrition labels and writing a new definition of which foods can be labeled healthy. “It still amazes me that some people think [front of package labeling] is a bad idea,” he said.
The FDA has jurisdiction over three-quarters of the U.S. food supply, including fruits, vegetables, and most prepared foods. Last summer Califf named Jim Jones, a former EPA officials, as the first deputy commissioner for human foods. The appointment was part of an ongoing reorganization of FDA’s food safety arm intended to improve federal oversight of food.
Front-of-packaging (FOP) labels would complement the longstanding Nutrition Facts label that appears on food packages, usually on the back. The FOP label would be a simplified, at-a-glance summary to help consumers quickly make a choice of what to buy, says the FDA. Other countries, including Canada and Mexico, have adopted FOP rules in recent years.
“I’m not a great shopper myself. It would be a lot better for me if I don’t have to turn the package around,” said Califf during the webinar arranged by the Alliance for a Stronger FDA. “That takes work, so why not put it on the front?”
The FDA has been evaluating several possible formats for labels. Whatever it chooses, the agency should make it mandatory, said the consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest last December: “The [food] industry’s real motivation for its voluntary ‘Facts up Front’ scheme was to forestall progress towards the real thing. Companies only want us to know when their cereals are high in fiber, not when they’re high in sugar.”
In fall 2022, the FDA began updating its definition of the nutrient claim “healthy,” which was set in 1994. “We’re redefining the term ‘healthy,’ which at first you way, why? But … it’s been 20 years” and nutrition science has advanced, said Califf.
The FDA said its new definition would go to nutrient-dense foods that are part of a diet consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Under the proposal, raw whole fruits and vegetables would automatically qualify for the “healthy” label. The FDA said the new definition would disqualify products such as white bread, highly sweetened yogurt, and highly sweetened cereal while avocados, nuts, and seeds, and higher fat fish such as salmon, would become eligible.
To watch a video of the webinar, click here.