FDA to test pack-front symbols for healthy products

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is testing prototypes for a new front-of-pack symbol demoting when a food or beverage can be deemed “healthy.”

The FDA is soliciting comments on several proposed symbols, which all bear the words “FDA” and “Healthy.” The symbols would be voluntarily available to marketers on products that meet FDA standards to be called “healthy.”

The action is separate from FDA’s efforts to redefine what’s “healthy,” which has been going on for years.

In the Federal Register notice, the FDA noted that its research in coming up with the symbol is not dependent on specific criteria for ‘healthy’” and therefore does not have to wait until there is a final, updated regulatory definition.