USDA to allow ‘healthy’ claim on certain products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA FSIS) has published a notice in the Federal Register that it will allow establishments to use the implied nutrient content claim “healthy” on their labels in accordance with the following guidelines:

• The product has a fat profile makeup of predominantly mono and polyunsaturated fats, or
• It contains at least 10% of the daily value (DV) per reference amount customarily consumed (RACC) of potassium or vitamin D.

The FSIS is making this announcement to maintain consistent requirements for food labels by allowing the same uses of the claim “healthy” for meat and poultry products as are currently allowed for food products under the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) jurisdiction.

If a company wishes to use this “healthy” claim, it will first need to submit at least one label sketch to FSIS’ Labeling and Program Delivery Staff (LPDS) for approval. The agency will allow the use of this “healthy” claim until the “healthy” regulations are amended through rulemaking.

The FSIS seeks public comments on the notice until May 18.