US Agency Permits Qualified Health Claim for Yogurt

US Agency Permits Qualified¹ Health Claim for Yogurt

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently permitted yogurt producers to make a health claim on containers of their products.

Yogurt is a food made from milk and special bacteria.

The claim is that eating yogurt might reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes², a health problem linked to how the body uses sugar for fuel. Type 2 diabetes is believed to affect about 38 million Americans.

Danone North America is the U.S. division of a French food company that makes several popular yogurt products. In 2018, the company asked the FDA for permission to make what is known as a “qualified health claim” about yogurt.

In March, the FDA said it would not object to such a claim. The food agency said that there is some evidence to support the claim that eating at least 900 grams of yogurt per week might reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

However, the agency said there is not “significant scientific agreement” about the claim.

What is a ‘qualified health claim’?

A “qualified health claim” means that the health effects have not been supported by wide scientific agreement.

Food producers are permitted to make some claims about the healthfulness of their products, but they also must include additional information to prevent misleading the public.

The FDA has permitted “qualified health claims” on dietary supplements since 2000 and on foods since 2002. The policy formed after the FDA faced legal action in the 1990s because it did not permit food companies to put any health claims on products that the agency did not approve. Lawyers successfully argued that such bans violated free speech rights guaranteed by the First Amendment³ of the U.S. Constitution.

Rather than fight in court, the FDA created a new term, separate from “authorized health claims.” These claims, the agency says, are supported by scientific agreement.

Examples of “qualified health claims” include claims that eating some kinds of cocoa might reduce heart disease. Another example is that cranberry⁴ juice might cut the risk of repeated urinary tract⁵ infections in women.

Yogurt and type 2 diabetes

In the case of yogurt, Danone submitted information from studies that observed people over time. The yogurt company found a link between eating yogurt and fewer signs of diabetes. The FDA agreed that there is “some credible⁶ evidence” that eating yogurt as a whole food has good health effects but not because of any one nutrient⁷ that it contains. In other words, there is no direct evidence that yogurt can prevent diabetes. There is only indirect evidence that eating yogurt may be connected to reducing signs connected to an increased risk of the disease.

The FDA says that it will not object to a qualified health claim rather than authorizing⁸ it.

Critics questioned the use of such a claim. They say it is not based on research that proves yogurt reduces Type 2 diabetes risk.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. It is critical of the qualified health claim related to yogurt. It said no single food can reduce the risk of a disease that is tied to overall diet.

It even warned that the claim might raise the risk of diabetes. The center said people might eat more yogurt products that include added sugars including cookies and pretzels—even if they do not have the claim on their containers.

Marion Nestle is a food policy expert at New York University. She said qualified health claims based on limited evidence are “ridiculous on their face.”

Words in This Story

qualified –adj. provided with a condition or an exception

dietary supplement –n. a class of products whose sales are based on the belief that they are good for a person’s health

authorized–adj. officially approved by a qualified agency

urinary tract –n. the path from the bladder that urine takes to go out of the body

credible –adj. something that can reasonably be believed

advocacy –n. the activity of supporting a cause or a group of people through several means

ridiculous –adj. not serious

on their face –idiom from only what is known at first

1 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

2 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

3 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

4 cranberry   

n.梅果

参考例句：

• Turkey reminds me of cranberry sauce.火鸡让我想起梅果酱。
• Actually I prefer canned cranberry sauce.事实上我更喜欢罐装的梅果酱。

5 tract   

n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林)

参考例句：

• He owns a large tract of forest.他拥有一大片森林。
• He wrote a tract on this subject.他曾对此写了一篇短文。

6 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

7 nutrient   

adj.营养的，滋养的；n.营养物，营养品

参考例句：

• Magnesium is the nutrient element in plant growth.镁是植物生长的营养要素。
• The roots transmit moisture and nutrient to the trunk and branches.根将水分和养料输送到干和枝。

8 authorizing   

授权，批准，委托( authorize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Letters of Marque: Take letters from a warning friendly power authorizing privateering. 私掠许可证：从某一个国家获得合法抢劫的证书。
• Formal phavee completion does not include authorizing the subsequent phavee. 阶段的正式完成不包括核准随后的阶段。