Our long national nightmare is over: Kind actually CAN call its granola bars “healthy,” when all is said and done.
But it seems the FDA has had a change of heart. In an email seen by Fortune, the FDA has said that the company can return the original language to Kind Bar packaging that says its products are “healthy and tasty, convenient and wholesome, economically sustainable and socially impactful.” It was that reference to “healthy” that the agency took issue with.
The email was prompted by a letter sent to the FDA by Kind, also seen by Fortune, in which the company asked that the agency allow it to return the language to its wrappers because it was not a nutrient claim but rather a statement about the company’s culture and philosophy.
Kind CEO Daniel Lubetzky told Fortune that the FDA’s rules are “based on 20-year-old thinking that new science has overridden,” anyway, adding that, “They recognize that the regulations need to be updated. It’s an opportunity to work with policy.”
The FDA also issued a statement to Fortune, saying, “In light of evolving nutrition research, forthcoming Nutrition Facts Labeling final rules, and a citizen petition, we believe now is an opportune time to reevaluate regulations concerning nutrient content claims, generally, including the term ‘healthy.’”
But surely there are some healthy snacks that do not taste like a handful of trail mix that got crushed underneath the couch cushions for six months?
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