ATLANTA - Next time you pick up a package of trail mix, it could come with a message that it's good for your heart.
In coming months, foods like salmon and spaghetti sauce could carry new health claims as well -- claims that might not have passed muster before.
For the past 10 years, food manufacturers have had to prove that there's significant scientific agreement on the benefits of a product before placing their claims on a label. But this month, the Food and Drug Administration relaxed those rules.
Allowing other health claims will help consumers make more nutritious food choices because they'll be better informed, the FDA says.
FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan has said the policy will give shoppers more guidance in selecting foods that will help prevent heart disease and cancer and battle obesity.
But some consumer groups and nutritionists worry that the new labels will further confuse Americans about what to eat. New research may call those claims into question, they say, and there will be greater potential for misleading information.
They also suggest the FDA relaxed its standards under pressure from the food industry, which for years has sought changes in the stringent labeling rules.
"What the FDA seems to be up to is providing segments of the food industry with marketing gimmicks rather than generating public health policies that would benefit all Americans," said Bruce Silverglade, director of legal affairs for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group.
The new qualified health claims would allow food manufacturers to market foods based on moderate to extremely low scientific evidence. The FDA has proposed several ways to label those claims, including a letter-grade system, with an "A" for those with significant scientific agreement, or a "B" for those backed by moderate scientific evidence, down to a "D" for the weakest.
Text labels are another option. A qualified health claim for nuts, for example, would read: "Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. [See nutrition information for fat content.]"
The agency is encouraging requests for the new labels for foods in certain categories, like those high in omega-3 fatty acids, generally considered heart-healthy.
Food companies may ask to make other claims, said Alison Kretser, director of scientific and nutrition policy for the Grocery Manufacturers of America, a trade group. Those could include health claims for Iycopene, a phytochemical found in cooked tomato sauces and which is associated with a reduced risk of cancer and heart disease; lutein, an antioxidant that may protect eyes from macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in older people; and low-fat dairy products, which may lower blood pressure.
By being able to make such claims, the food industry will develop more products that can carry those labels, Kretser said.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest said allowing health claims with only moderate scientific backing at best will simply mislead consumers about the most healthful foods.
"One of the reasons we changed food labels in the first place [10 years ago] is there was so much being claimed for products that wasn't backed by science," said Chris Rosenbloom, head of the nutrition department of Georgia State University's College of Health and Human Sciences.
"The industry could have to change those [qualified] claims in a year or two as they learn more. It could lead to a lot of confusion."
Getting a qualified claim approved may take as little as four months, compared to the 16-month average for an unrestricted claim, according to the FDA.
Making sure that consumers understand the new labels -- what they mean and what amount of scientific evidence supports them -- is key to the success of the FDA's policy change, the agency says.
The FDA plans focus groups to gauge whether a letter or number grade is appropriate and what wording is most effective. But the claims are likely to start appearing on labels before that research is complete, so it's unclear what format they'll take.
Industry groups like the Grocery Manufacturers of America oppose a letter grade system, saying a grade of "C" or "D" will scare consumers away from a product. It may take a year or more for the FDA to settle on the labeling.
"We want to be able to print a claim to appear on food so you can understand the science behind it, whether it is solidly supported by science or pretty creaky," said Alan Rulis, a senior nutrition adviser for the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Nuts are likely to be the first product to carry a qualified health claim. In July, the FDA approved allowing labels for certain nuts and nut products, including peanuts, pecans and almonds, to carry a notice that eating 1.5 ounces of nuts daily may reduce the risk of heart disease. An FDA letter accompanying the decision said there wasn't enough significant scientific evidence to support an unrestricted claim.
The FDA generally has prohibited the use of a health claim for products high in total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol or sodium. Nuts with higher amounts of saturated fat, such as macadamias and cashews, cannot carry the qualified health claim. But putting a health claim on other types of nuts, which are high in total fat as well as calories, worries some.
"Putting a health claim on a product that's high in calories, like nuts, may send the wrong message," Rosenbloom said. "Consumers still need to think about the big picture. Just because nuts get this claim that they're healthy, doesn't mean you can sit down at the ballgame and eat a pound of peanuts.
Elizabeth Lee writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. E-mail: elee@ajc.com
