In comments submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 6th, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) requested revisions to proposed research by the agency on front of package symbols intended to convey the claim “healthy”. In these comments, AHPA requested that FDA expand their research to capture how consumers may respond to the “healthy” symbol in a wider range of package formats, including retail packaged spices and retail packaged tea products.

This request reflects and references previous comments from AHPA encouraging FDA to expand the criteria for use of the term "healthy" beyond nutrient content claims to include claims for other foods, including herbs, spices and teas, that promote "healthy eating patterns" as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. AHPA also encouraged FDA to prioritize efforts to amend the current regulation that is inconsistent with the latest nutrition research, and expressed support for FDA's current policy to exercise enforcement discretion until the current "healthy" regulation is updated. AHPA anticipates action from FDA to update the “healthy” claim definition by the end of 2021, and will continue to press for a definition that reflects the modern scientific consensus.

View and download AHPA's comments >>