Sugar Association responds to release of FDA’s final rule on the definition of ‘healthy’

December 19, 2024 (Washington, D.C.) – The following reaction statement is attributable to Sugar Association President and CEO Courtney Gaine, PhD, RD:

“The Sugar Association supports the Dietary Guidelines recommendation to limit added sugars to 10% of total calories, but the new “healthy” definition goes well beyond that recommendation and arbitrarily excludes many foods containing added sugars that are key providers of essential nutrients, such as fruit yogurt.

With this rule, FDA is once again incentivizing further use of industrial additives like low- and no-calorie sweeteners in food, which have proliferated over the last several decades, going well beyond their well-known and easily-identifiable role in beverages and now showing up as unidentifiable chemical names buried on ingredient lists for foods – including in food for children. 3 in 4 Americans believe that foods containing artificial sweeteners should not be labeled as ‘healthy.’

At some point, the government needs to acknowledge that we don’t have a good grasp on how pervasive these low- and no-calorie sweeteners have become in our food supply, unbeknown to most Americans. It is past time we bring some transparency to these additives like we have for added sugars.”

###

The Sugar Association, founded in 1943, is the scientific voice of the U.S. sugar industry. The association is committed to making a difference by continuously supporting scientific research and sharing its knowledge that there’s more to sugar by increasing consumer understanding of and confidence in the role that real sugar plays in a nutritious, balanced and enjoyable diet. The Sugar Association represents nearly 11,000 beet and cane sugar growers, as well as processors and refiners of sugar. The U.S. sugar industry generates 151,000 jobs in more than two dozen states and contributes $23.3 billion to the economy annually. For more information, visit www.sugar.org, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and connect with us on Facebook.