Here’s What the Heck Means the FDA’s Soybean Announcement
Big news from the FDA this week! Food companies that print heart health labels will be required by law – are you prepared for this hype? – slightly change the wording.
Headline : FDA Moves To Withdraw Soy Health Statement (CNN)
History : “Today we are proposing a rule to withdraw the health claims of soy protein and heart disease,” the director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition wrote in a press release . Until recently, you could print a statement like this on the label of, say, a package of tofu:
A diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, including 25 grams of soy protein per day, may reduce the risk of heart disease. One serving of [Product Name] contains __ grams of soy protein.
This health statement was one of 12 FDA- approved health statements that the FDA said has “significant scientific agreement” between experts and is unlikely to change. This is the first time the FDA has revoked this status for a claim.
They didn’t do it because the soybeans suddenly became unhealthy; rather, science is a little less certain than it was when the application was first approved. You can eat tofu, but scientists disagree about the specific question of whether the protein in tofu provides special protection against heart disease.
Good news for soy food packagers: It is still legitimate to use a qualified health claim to convince people that your product is good for your health. They still need to be approved by the FDA, but their standards are not as strict. Here is a statement about soybean oil currently in the books that could probably be modified to refer to soy protein:
Supporting but inconclusive scientific evidence suggests that consuming about 1 ½ tablespoons (19.5 grams) of soybean oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. To achieve this potential benefit, soybean oil must replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you consume in a day. One serving of this product contains [x] grams of soybean oil.
There. I am confident that consumers will get a much better scientific understanding of the effects of soy on heart health through this reformulation. This is how it works, right?
Claim cancellation is still the proposed rule anyway, so if you have a strong opinion on the wording of tofu labels, please notify the FDA by January 16th .
Takeaway : If you are the type to read the health claims on soy packaging closely, there may be some minor changes to your reading materials in the near future. For everyone else, nothing much changes.