05.01.15
After the agency reviewed several nutrition bars from Kind LLC, New York, NY, FDA sent the company a Warning Letter in March saying the products violated certain “healthy” labeling laws because they don’t meet certain standards.
The company said it will work with the agency to adjust its labels but recipes will remain the same.
The products in question include Fruit & Nut Almond & Apricot, Fruit & Nut Almond & Coconut, Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein and Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew + Antioxidants.
FDA stated the product labels bear nutrient content claims, but do not meet the requirements to make such claims. For example, to use the term “healthy” as an implied nutrient content claim, the product must be “low saturated fat,” as defined in 21 CFR 101.62(c)(2). However, these products exceed the 1 gram of saturated fat per 40 gram Reference Amount Customarily Consumed (RACC) limit and the maximum of 15% of calories from saturated fat.
In a statement, the company said: “Nuts, key ingredients in many of our snacks and one of the things that make fans love our bars, contain nutritious fats that exceed the amount allowed under the FDA’s standard. This is similar to other foods that do not meet the standard for use of the term healthy, but are generally considered to be good for you like avocados, salmon and eggs.”
Additional issues FDA cited included use of the term “Plus,” which implies the food contains at least 10% of the reference daily intake (RDI) or the Daily Reference Value (DRV) for the nutrient. The letter also took issue with labeling “antioxidant-rich,” “good source of fiber” and “no trans fats.”
Kind said it is “fully committed to working alongside the FDA, and we’re moving quickly to comply with its request. We’re also taking it upon ourselves to conduct a thorough review of all of our snack food labels and website information to ensure that they’re compliant.”
The company said it will work with the agency to adjust its labels but recipes will remain the same.
The products in question include Fruit & Nut Almond & Apricot, Fruit & Nut Almond & Coconut, Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein and Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew + Antioxidants.
FDA stated the product labels bear nutrient content claims, but do not meet the requirements to make such claims. For example, to use the term “healthy” as an implied nutrient content claim, the product must be “low saturated fat,” as defined in 21 CFR 101.62(c)(2). However, these products exceed the 1 gram of saturated fat per 40 gram Reference Amount Customarily Consumed (RACC) limit and the maximum of 15% of calories from saturated fat.
In a statement, the company said: “Nuts, key ingredients in many of our snacks and one of the things that make fans love our bars, contain nutritious fats that exceed the amount allowed under the FDA’s standard. This is similar to other foods that do not meet the standard for use of the term healthy, but are generally considered to be good for you like avocados, salmon and eggs.”
Additional issues FDA cited included use of the term “Plus,” which implies the food contains at least 10% of the reference daily intake (RDI) or the Daily Reference Value (DRV) for the nutrient. The letter also took issue with labeling “antioxidant-rich,” “good source of fiber” and “no trans fats.”
Kind said it is “fully committed to working alongside the FDA, and we’re moving quickly to comply with its request. We’re also taking it upon ourselves to conduct a thorough review of all of our snack food labels and website information to ensure that they’re compliant.”