FILE IMAGE - The breakfast cereal aisle is pictured at a grocery store in Florida in an undated file image. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration recently proposed a new set of criteria for when food products can be labeled "healthy." Items like salmon, nuts, and seeds would now qualify, while many popular breakfast cereals like Honey Nut Cheerios and Raisin Bran would not.
Currently, food manufacturers can voluntarily add the word "healthy" to their products, according to a definition first set in 1994, the FDA said.
The existing criteria have limits on total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, and the products must provide at least 10% of the daily value of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, protein, and fiber.The current definition of "healthy" does not contain a limit on added sugars, which the FDA believes is needed.RELATED: Eating dinner early could be better for your health"Healthy food can lower our risk for chronic disease.