Avocados and Salmon Eligible for FDA's New 'Healthy' Claim, Fortified White Bread Isn't

 Avocado, salmon and water are among the foods that will qualify for a "healthy" claim on food packaging, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

The agency announced a final rule intended to revamp outdated guidelines amid stubbornly high incidences of diet-related chronic diseases.

"Diet-related diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, are the leading cause of disability and disease in the U.S. and contribute to America's status as having the lowest life expectancy among large, high-income countries," the FDA said.

Under the updated claim, eggs, nuts and seeds, olive oil and higher-fat fish such as salmon will now qualify to use the "healthy" claim. Examples of products that qualified as healthy under the original claim but not the updated one include fortified white bread, highly sweetened yogurt, and highly sweetened cereals.

The agency said it would work with interested parties to support use of the updated claim, adding it had entered a partnership with grocery-delivery company Instacart to help shoppers find products.

Both the original and updated claims have limits on saturated fat and sodium. The updated claim has a limit on added sugars, while ending the limit on total fat.

The FDA issued a proposed rule in 2022. "Since the time the claim was first defined in 1994, nutrition science and federal dietary guidance have changed, making the current "healthy" definition outdated," it said at the time.

The FDA was considering changes in 2016, noting that public health recommendations had evolved. "For example, healthy dietary patterns now focus on food groups, the type of fat rather than the total amount of fat consumed and now address added sugars in the diet," the agency said then.

The Consumer Brands Association, which represents food manufacturers, said in early 2023 that the FDA's proposed changes would contradict the dietary guidelines and cause confusion among consumers.

Manufacturers who choose to use the "healthy" claim can use the new criteria starting on Feb. 25.

The FDA said Thursday it is continuing to explore development of a standardized graphic for food labeling to show that a product meets the definition of "healthy."

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