US Health Secretary Postpones Rule to Redefine “Healthy” on Food Labels

February 25, 2025 TruthUSA

In late 2024, the Food and Drug Administration announced an update to the definition of “healthy” for food labels.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ordered a postponement of the new rule that revises the definition of “healthy” on food product labels.

The final rule from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will now take effect on April 28, pushing back the previously set implementation date of February 25, as stated by Kennedy in an update on Tuesday. He mentioned.

Kennedy referenced President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, which instructs federal agencies to evaluate pending rules for “questions of fact, law, and policy” before their effective dates.

“The temporary delay in the effective date until April 28, 2025, is necessary to allow Agency officials additional time for review and consideration of the new regulation, in accordance with the previously described memorandum,” Kennedy explained.

The FDA announced its plans for updating the “healthy” label definition in late 2024, marking the first major change since it was defined by the FDA in 1994.

“As nutrition science has progressed since the 1990s, this final rule revises the definition of ‘healthy’ to align with current nutrition science and Federal dietary guidelines, aiming to provide consumers with more comprehensive, accurate, and current information on food labels,” the agency stated at that time.

With the updated definition, producers may be able to label certain foods as healthy that previously couldn’t, such as salmon, while items like sugary cereal that are currently eligible would no longer meet the criteria.

The framework set by the new rule stipulates that a vegetable product must contain at least half a cup of vegetables to qualify as healthy. Similarly, a dairy product must have a minimum of two-thirds of a cup of dairy to comply with the revised standards.

Proteins like eggs and various oils, including 100% oils, will also be eligible for the “healthy” label under the new rule.

The compliance deadline for this rule remains set for February 2028, as confirmed by Kennedy on Tuesday.

Officials have indicated that manufacturers can start adhering to the new rule before the compliance deadline.

The FDA emphasizes that the goal of the healthy label is “to showcase those foods that, based on their nutrient content, are particularly beneficial in building a diet that aligns with current dietary guidelines.”

Kennedy has recently been confirmed by the Senate as health secretary. Previously, he ran as an independent presidential candidate with a “Make America Healthy Again” platform before exiting the 2024 race and endorsing Trump for president.

During Kennedy’s swearing-in ceremony, Trump stated that his confirmed nominee “is going to lead a great national mission to make America healthy again.”

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