FDA Let Marketers Label Sugar-Soaked Cereals As ‘Healthy’ For Years, And Big Food Is Fighting To Keep It That Way

This should make it obvious that processed sugary cereals and boxes of fruity pebbles are far from healthy breakfasts. These are the major food companies behind Lucky Charms and Fruity Pebbles. threatening to sue to allow them the right to label their products “healthy” anyway.

Last fall, Food and Drug Administration proposed new guidelines What might define a product? “healthy” To warrant the label on packaging

“Nutrition is key to improving our nation’s health,” In a press release, Xavier Becerra, Health and Human Services Secretary, stated this. “Healthy food can lower our risk for chronic disease. But too many people may not know what constitutes healthy food. FDA’s move will help educate more Americans to improve health outcomes, tackle health disparities and save lives.”

Food companies can now label their products using the FDA’s current definition. It was established in 1994, and it has been updated in 2016. “healthy” It is important that the foods do not contain less than a certain amount of total fats, saturated fats, cholesterol, or sodium. Foods must also contain at least 10 percent daily recommended levels of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C and calcium as well as iron, protein, and/or dietary fiber. Added sugar is allowed without restrictions.

Cereal companies can now advertise boxes of chemically processed cereals drenched with sugary syrups under the existing regulations “healthy.” However, the new guidelines would place salmon on the list of healthy products and ban the label for most cereals. The labeling of foods with more than 2.5g sugar per serving would be banned. “healthy.” According Business Insider estimates that an average box of cereal has nearly 20g of sugar per standard serving.

“In response, processed food companies that produce a variety of snacks, baked goods, pastas, and frozen pizzas are challenging the rules before they are finalized by the agency,” The Intercept reported Wednesday. “Among the most vocal food companies are producers of high-sugar cereals, which are largely marketed to children and have been criticized as a driver of the obesity epidemic in America.”

Ten years since First Lady Michelle Obama’s death “Let’s Move” campaignThe problem of childhood obesity has only gotten worse.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 20 percent of children aged 2-19 — or 1 in 5 — were categorically obese between 2017 and 2020. The data was analyzed by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. published Their May 2021 findings concluded that obesity rates rose among children aged 2-17 during the ineffective lockdowns politicians claimed were necessary for combating Covid-19. A June 2021 paper by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge Louisiana found cases of type-2 diabetes in children. doubled under lockdown. Packaged foods sales spiked All of this while being simultaneously.

Big Pharma has responded by addressing the unhealthy food- and lifestyle crisis. proposing A combination of injections and surgery.

London’s Imperial School of Public Health researchers released their February findings concluded It is possible that processed foods can be dangerous. Over a decade of data analysis, researchers discovered that ultra-processed foods, such as popular cereals, were associated with higher cancer rates and mortality.

The Intercept reported Wednesday that the food giants behind Lucky Charms and Fruity Pebbles filed a joint FDA filing. “sugary cereals pose no health risks and are, in fact, beneficial to society and childhood health.”

“The companies stated that they view the ‘extremely strict’ guidelines as ‘alarming’ because ‘cereal is one of the most affordable, nutrient dense breakfast choices a person — adult or child — can make … with a wide range of options to suit different cultures, preferences, and taste,'” According to the outlet,

Luise light, an ex-USD insider who was one the first to create the old food pyramid, died in 2004. warned, “Ultimately, the food industry dictates the government’s food advice, shaping the nutrition agenda delivered to the public.”

“In fact, to the food industry, the purpose of food guides is to persuade consumers that all foods (especially those that they’re selling) fit into a healthful diet,” She continued.

Tristan Justice is The Federalist’s western correspondent and author of Social Justice Redux. This conservative newsletter focuses on culture, wellness, and health. He also wrote for The Washington Examiner as well as The Daily Signal. His work was also featured in Real Clear Politics, Fox News and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University, where he studied journalism and political science. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at [email protected]. Get Tristan’s email newsletter here.