The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is updating its rules regarding the use of the term “healthy” in food product labeling and content claims.
The revised rule, scheduled to take effect Feb. 25 of this year, for the first time states that coffee beverages — even those mixed with certain other ingredients — may be labeled as “healthy,” so long as they are less than five calories per serving.
The rule is designed to dovetail with the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as issued every five years, while helping consumers “identify foods that are particularly useful as the foundation of a nutritious diet.”
The five-calorie threshold per serving is particularly notable in the coffee category, since coffee drinks are also one of the largest contributors to added sugars in Americans’ diets, according to the FDA. According to the rules, the “healthy” label is restricted based upon the amount of added sugar content, sodium content, saturated fat content and other factors.
Coffee drinks with added fats and sugars resulting in more than five calories would not be considered “healthy” under the rule.
“Nearly two-thirds of all energy from added sugars in the average American diet is coming from sugar-sweetened beverages, sweetened coffees and teas, desserts and sweet snacks, and candies and sugars,” the proposed rule states.
In a press release applauding the FDA’s new “healthy” rule, U.S. National Coffee Association President Bill Murray said, “Decades of robust, independent scientific evidence show that coffee drinkers live longer, healthier, happier lives, and FDA is absolutely right that including coffee in the definition of ‘healthy’ can help consumers choose beverages that help maintain healthy diets.”
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