US FDA to relabel fresh avocados as healthy

THE US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed new guidelines for the use of the term “healthy” on food labeling.  

The term “healthy” on a food label is regulated by the FDA and reserved for foods low in fat among other restrictions. The past guidance, which was established more than 20 years ago, focused on Total Fat per serving and the new proposed guidance gives consideration to the breakdown between good (unsaturated) and bad (saturated) fats in light of evolving nutrition research.

Fresh avocados, which contribute naturally good fats to the diet, will now meet the criteria. The fruit can tout the nutritional claim that the vast majority of U.S. Hispanics (91 percent) already perceive to be true.¹

Photo: Hass Avocado Board

Avocados contain 8 g of fat per 50 g serving, over 75 percent of which are good fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats). Avocados comply with the new guidance because they have a fat profile of predominantly monounsaturated (good) fats.

“Hispanics awareness of the good fats in avocados has been steadily growing and last tracked at 68 percent,¹” said Emiliano Escobedo, Executive Director of the Hass Avocado Board. “We’re excited that our communications will now match up with what Hispanics already know: avocados are a source of good fat and healthy.”

Hass is an agriculture promotion group established in 2002 to promote the consumption of Hass Avocados in the United States.

Eating fruits and vegetables, like healthy avocados, is associated with a reduced risk of many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, and may be protective against certain types of cancers, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. To learn more about the naturally good fats in healthy avocados and to get recipes in Spanish, visit SaboreaUnoHoy.com/grasasbuenas or for English, visit LoveOneToday.com/goodfats

^₁Hass Avocado Board, 2016 Hispanic Tracking Study