KIND, the snack bar company, got a not-so-kind warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that several of the company’s products aren’t as healthy as advertised.
The FDA issued a warning letter to KIND Snacks stating that the brand must fix its labels and stop calling its bars “healthy” when they don’t meet its standard for the term.
According to the FDA, in order to be properly labeled as “healthy,” food must contain no more than a gram of saturated fat for every serving. Four of KIND’s snack bars are being targeted for the label because they contain over 2.5 grams of saturated fat per 40g. In fact some even contain up to 5g of saturated fat.
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The letter cited labels on Kind Fruit & Nut Almond & Apricot, Kind Fruit & Nut Almond & Coconut, Kind Plus Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate & Protein, and Kind Plus Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew & Antioxidants that “bear the claim ‘healthy and tasty, convenient and wholesome,’ in connection with statements such as:
“good source of fiber,” “no trans fats,” “very low sodium” or “low sodium,” “50% DV antioxidants vitamins A, C and E” and “7g protein.”
But, the letter said, none of those products meet the FDA requirements for use of the nutrient content claim “healthy.”
The FDA letter also told KIND to…
…respond with a plan of action, and to include an explanation for every step that will be taken to address the violations listed by the agency, as well as explaining how it will avoid similar ones in the future.
The FDA also took issue with several other aspects of KIND’s labeling, including the brand’s use of the + symbol, which specifies certain nutritional quotas, and for stating that it is “antioxidant-rich” with “no trans fats.” If KIND fails to make the necessary changes, its bars could be taken off the shelves.
