The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday said it would allow KIND bars to be labeled as “healthy,” a reversal from more than a year ago when the FDA prohibited the product from using that word.
The FDA also said it would review its definition of what is healthy, and what isn’t.
The yearlong struggle for KIND bars started with an FDA rule that said snack foods labeled as healthy can’t have more than 3 grams of total fat or 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. The problem for KIND last year was nuts, which the company said contained nutritious fats that exceeded the federal definition of “healthy.”
KIND said that the definition was more than two decades old and needed and update.
“The current regulatory definition of healthy is inconsistent with federal guidelines and scientific research, as today we know it’s advisable to prioritize eating whole foods, including nuts, plants, whole grains and seafood,” said David L. Katz, KIND’s nutrition expert.
