In response to criticism from food companies contending the decades-old definition of "healthy" is outdated, the FDA is seeking opinions from consumers and companies on how the term "healthy" should be used on food packaging, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Redefining the term and determining how it will be used on food labels is a process that could take years to complete, but it represents a big step in the FDA's efforts to keep pace with evolving ideas about health, according to the report.
"As our understanding about nutrition has evolved, we need to make sure the definition for the 'healthy' labeling claim stays up to date," Douglas Balentine, director of the Office of Nutrition and Food Labeling at the FDA, said in a statement Tuesday, according to the report.
In 1994, when "healthy" was first officially defined by FDA regulators, health professionals were most concerned with low fat content, while sugar wasn't even on the FDA's radar. As a result, food makers can claim their product is healthy if it is low in fat, saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol, and if it has a certain amount of beneficial nutrients, such as vitamin C or calcium, even if it is high in sugar, according to the report.
That means foods like sugar-coated cereal is considered healthy since it has low fat levels, while avocados and almonds are not because they contain too much fat.
The FDA said that it plans to exercise discretion in enforcing the current standards for healthy foods while it considers how to redefine the rule, according to the report.