FDA Plans to Define Health

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to release a new definition of the word “healthy” this coming summer, according to a statement by outgoing commissioner Scott Gottlieb at an event at the Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington D.C, JBT writes.

The current FDA definition restricts usage of the term “healthy” based on the levels of fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and certain other nutrients, based on the category that the food falls under. This definition was established in 1993 and has only recently been revisited, despite changes to separate dietary guidance.

This means that foods such as salmon, nuts, bottled water, and even some gluten-free pasta aren’t qualified to call themselves healthy, under the current definition.

Gottlieb stated that the exact definition of the term was still under debate within the FDA, but the agency should issue the guidance this summer. According to an aide, agency staff is still going through the comments they received on the definition.