The U.S. Food and Drug Administration previously did not consider oranges to be healthy, despite their nutritional benefits. Oranges provide 70 calories, three grams of fiber, and over 100 percent of the recommended daily value for vitamin C. However, existing FDA guidelines prevented whole oranges from being labeled as “healthy.” This restriction also applied to water, pistachios, bananas, and many other fresh foods.
A recently announced revised FDA rule is set to change this. The new rule will allow whole foods like oranges and salmon to qualify as healthy. Foods with excessive added sugar or saturated fats will no longer be eligible to be labeled as healthy.
This update, the first in 30 years, could prevent many companies from labeling their products as “healthy,” particularly breakfast cereals. The FDA is working on a new logo to represent “healthy,” but implementing this may take some time.
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Previously, the FDA’s rule for labeling a food item as “healthy” required the product to provide at least 10 percent of the established daily value of specific nutrients and not exceed certain limits for saturated fat, total fat, sodium, or cholesterol. These nutrients did not need to occur naturally in the product.
This rule is now considered outdated, focusing on dietary priorities from the 1980s. Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of the Food Is Medicine Institute, advocates for aligning the rule with the FDA’s 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines, emphasizing naturally occurring nutrients over added nutrients.
The revised rule emphasizes whole foods and discourages processed foods that can deplete nutrients like fiber. It also promotes low-sugar and low-saturated-fat options that include essential nutrients.
