CSPI appreciates FDA’s efforts to encourage manufacturers to leverage food labels for the purpose of nutrition education with this draft guidance for industry titled "Questions and Answers About Dietary Guidance Statements in Food Labeling."
In this draft guidance, FDA establishes a new category of claims for food labeling (“Dietary Guidance Statements”) and defines Dietary Guidance Statements as statements in food labeling that “represent or suggest that an individual food or food group may contribute to or help maintain a nutritious dietary pattern” and provides examples of Dietary Guidance Statements.
At Humboldt Unified School District (HUSD), Director of Nutrition Jody Buckle, District Nutritionist Pamela Liuzzo and their hardworking staff have been implementing nutritious, whole-grain-rich meals at the schools in their district for years.
At Cypress School District, Director of Child Nutrition Parisa Shukla, MDA, RD, SNS and her excellent staff have been providing a wide variety of 100 percent whole-grain rich meals to students for over four years. With a 40 percent increase in lunch participation since the start of the pandemic, even more students can enjoy nutrient dense, delicious meals at school every day.
Are these the 10 best foods? Nope, but they're 10 of the best foods. In fact, there are plenty more healthy staples. Almost any fruit or vegetable or bean is a winner. Enjoy!
CSPI submits these comments in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Child Nutrition Programs: Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium” final rule (87 FR 6984), which will provide necessary flexibility to schools for SY 2022-2023 and SY 2023-2024 as they respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. CSPI urges the USDA to align school meals with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, particularly with respect to added sugars, sodium, and whole grains in the rulemaking expected later this year.
The following table displays examples of K-12 products that are whole grain-rich, based on an analysis conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) of select companies' K-12 portfolios in 2021.
The healthiest standbys don’t change much. They’re mostly unsweetened shredded wheat, whole wheat or bran flakes, and fruit-and-nut muesli. All have little or no added sugar and plenty of whole grains. Pretty simple stuff.
It won't break the bank. It's at home in dozens of dishes. " It packs far more fiber than brown rice...yet cooks in a fraction of the time.
Who knew that unassuming bulgur could do all that?
One of the healthiest diets—it’s endorsed by the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and other health authorities—is DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).
Crackers have a healthier image than chips, but many don’t deserve it. Who needs those refined carbs? Not these crackers. They’re 100 percent whole grain (or seeds) and delish. Many go light on salt, so there’s room for cheese, hummus, etc.
