FDA says KIND bars can’t advertise as ‘healthy’

The same monstrous federal agency that brought us food pyramids, plate graphics, and encourages America to eat vegan is after health food bar maker, KIND.

Recently, KIND received a love letter from the FDA citing multiple labeling violations. “However, none of your products listed above meet the requirements for use of the nutrient content claim “healthy,”” wrote the self-appointed arbiter of healthy declarations. The FDA letter to KIND is a fantastic example of how the federal bureaucracy is a vacuous waste of money. Tax money is spent paying people to sit in offices (where they’re forbidden from watching porn) while they stress over 1.5 g of saturated fat in a nut bar.

Four of KIND’s health food bars received FDA scrutiny. In order for KIND to properly utilize the healthy designation, their health food bars cannot contain more than 1 g of saturated fat per Reference Amount Customarily Consumed (RACC). The Fruit & Nut Almond & Apricot and Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein bars contain 3.5 g, Fruit & Nut Almond & Coconut clocks in at 5 g, and the Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew + Antioxidants contains a whopping 2.5 g of saturated fat, said the FDA.

KIND’s health food bars are made largely without preservatives or other fillers and fake food stuffs found in similar products. They’re also exceptionally tasty. But a regulation is a regulation.

KIND released a statement today, saying:

The FDA pointed out a number of items that we’re correcting, and there’s one that we feel is particularly important to discuss as it cuts to the core of who we are. We’ve built a brand centered around creating wholesome and great tasting snacks. While this will never change, some of our products do not follow the FDA regulatory standard for using the word “healthy” on a label, which says, among other things, that a snack food can’t have more than 3g of total fat or 1g of saturated fat per serving.Nuts, key ingredients in many of our snacks and one of the things that make fans love our bars, contain nutritious fats that exceed the amount allowed under the FDA’s standard. This is similar to other foods that do not meet the standard for use of the term healthy, but are generally considered to be good for you like avocados, salmon and eggs. Here is just some of the recent news and research on the significant nutritional benefits of nuts.Our team at KIND is fully committed to working alongside the FDA, and we’re moving quickly to comply with its request. We’re also taking it upon ourselves to conduct a thorough review of all of our snack food labels and website information to ensure that they’re compliant.

At least the federal government is concerned about important things.

[H/T Bloomberg News]

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Tags: FDA, Regulations

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