Many of you have probably heard, but the FDA has taken action against KIND Bars, saying that their labels of being “healthy” are false and misleading. Specifically, the FDA stated “Your products do not meet the requirements for use of the nutrient content claim ‘healthy’ on a food label.”
These sightings from the FDA are mainly due to KIND Snack’s high [saturated] fat content, as well as a few other mis-labelings, including using the ‘+’ symbol to insinuate that there is “10% more of the daily recommended intake for vitamins and minerals as compared to an appropriate reference food, or that the food is fortified with vitamins and nutrients in accordance with certain FDA policies.”
As a Nutritionist, I think this is absurd! No, I’m not going to say that KIND Bars are the healthiest foods out there, but compared to the majority of bars on the market, they really are pretty nutritious (not to mention delicious ;)! Plus, all of the ‘high saturated fat claims’ are mainly in reference to their use of nuts and coconut, foods that are extremely good for you and filled with many antioxidants, as well as fiber, protein and yes, healthy fats.
And while I do agree that some of their other “label issues” may be warranted, specifically when they claim that some of their bars are high in fiber and/or antioxidants, I wouldn’t say that this warrants them not being considered “healthy”.
In fact, I wrote a review on KIND Bars last Valentine’s Day, stating all of their good-for-you benefits. Here’s the link: this-valentines-day-be-kind-to-your-body-and-your-tastebuds-do-the-kind-thing
Here’s a link to more about this story from The Huffington Post, as well as one from Today.com.
So what’s the moral of this story, don’t trust everything you read! Especially when it comes from the FDA and relates to your health. While they may have good intentions – at least some of the time – their facts are totally off when it comes to the health of nuts and certain fats, and shouldn’t play a role in people’s “healthy decision making”.
