FDA to grade products’ health claims

Teachers won’t be the only ones issuing grades from now on. The Food and Drug Administration plans to start grading health claims on product labels.

The ranking system will assign letter grades – ranging from ‘A’ to ‘D’ – on each claim a company makes, indicating the quality and strength of the scientific evidence that supports the claim.

‘We want to see more of a focus on getting that information out to consumers and we want to see more of a focus on food producers competing based on the health consequences of their products,’ says FDA Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan.

The measure is intended to encourage the manufacturers of foods, beverages and dietary supplements to present only health claims that are firmly backed by sound science. An FDA spokesperson said the new grades are intended to inform consumers about the products they buy. Read more