WASHINGTON (FNS) -- Representatives of the baking, produce and deli industries view the Food and Drug Administration's new strict regulations governing the use of the word "healthy" on food labels as fair and benefiting sales. According to the FDA definition, a food can be labeled healthy if a serving contains at least 10% of the FDA-specified daily requirement of either vitamin A or C, iron, calcium, protein or fiber. It also must meet FDA standards for being low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Guidelines were issued last week and will go into effect November 1995, with the adoption of the other nutritional standards.
"The place I think the bakery industry will be able to take advantage of this will be with breads and rolls that are inherently low-fat," said Peter Houstle, president of the Retail Bakers of America, Laurel, Md.
He said some breads will automatically qualify under the regulations and others might have to undergo some slight recipe changes in order to carry the healthy designation. As for vegetables, avocados are the only exception in the top 40 fruits and vegetables sold in the United States that FDA won't qualify as healthy. Avocados are high in fat.
And that's a net positive for the industry, said Elizabeth Pivonka, director of nutrition for the Produce Marketing Association. Actually, four other vegetables -- grapes, mushrooms, cucumbers and iceberg lettuce -- also don't meet the new healthy criteria, but FDA has decided to make an exception since produce, in general, promotes good health and, in many cases, reduces the risk of disease.
"The new definition is very good for fruits and vegetables," Pivonka said. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in charge of processed food containing meat, has decided it also will adopt the FDA's definition of healthy. For fresh meat, USDA said it will permit the term healthy to be used if a product meets the agency's standards for extra-lean, which is a product with less than 5 grams of fat, less than 2 grams of saturated fat and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving and per 100 grams of product.
FDA adopted a similar healthy standard for fresh seafood and game. While many deli foods won't qualify for the healthy designation, Houstle said the tightly worded descriptor will benefit the department by reining in abuse of the term. In addition, it could spur delis into formulating salads and the like to qualify as healthy, attracting a segment of customers that have stayed away from delis. "You want to be aware of your customers moving toward this new dietary lifestyle," he said. "There's another market out there. It's important for retailers to understand their customer base."
