Revised AHA Heart-Check Means New Opportunities for Healthy Fats
One of the most recognized front-of-pack icons underwent a “facelift” this fall.
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| Source: American Heart Association |
With an updated look and new criteria, the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Heart-Check mark program now goes a step further in telling the nutritional good news story consumers care about and endorsing heart-healthy foods, including those high in healthy fats. Although consumers don’t necessarily understand which fats are healthy, they know they can look for and trust the Heart-Check mark, which can translate that for them.
In September, AHA announced updates to the criteria for the products and foods eligible for certification under the Heart-Check Food Certification Program. With this program change, foods containing healthier fats now qualify to carry the Heart-Check symbol on the front-of-product packaging.
The Heart-Check mark was one of the first front-of-pack labeling symbols and began showing up on product packaging in 1995 to give consumers a quick reference for nutritional value. Since this time, additional front-of-pack labeling tools have launched, making it increasingly more complex for food makers to tell a product’s health story. Today, more than a dozen systems for front-of-package labeling have been developed, including the Multiple Traffic Light, Smart Choices, Guiding Stars, Health Protection Factor, Wheel of Health, as well as FMI and GMA’s “Facts Up Front” labeling systems. To add to the onslaught of front-of-pack icons, the Institute of Medicine has recommended their Energy Star program to the FDA, which could result in yet another labeling format.
With increased industry competition and consumer confusion in regards to labeling systems, food makers wanting to choose the most appropriate front-of-pack icon must understand its consumer and what drives them to use the packaging symbols. Recent studies suggest consumers prefer positive health messages or nutritional “good news.” According to a 2009 International Food Information Council Foundation study, more than 60 percent of Americans would rather hear positive messages about what to eat than negative messages regarding what not to eat. With the adoption of healthier fats into its criteria, the AHA Heart-Check clearly communicates to consumers the heart-healthfulness of a food product, making them feel good about their purchase decision.
“We know that consumers have relied on the American Heart Association’s Heart-Check mark to easily identify heart-healthy foods for more than 15 years,” said Dr. Rachel Johnson, registered dietitian and spokesperson for AHA. “Adding nuts, fish and other foods that are rich sources of good fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, enhances the program and gives more healthy options consumers can choose with the same trust factor.”
With multiple front-of-pack labeling options now recognized by consumers, manufacturers are forced to consider what the most powerful tool is to communicate a product’s health message. An effective way for manufacturers to tell this nutritional good news story and utilize AHA’s Heart-Check mark is to formulate products with Omega-9 Oils and increase heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.
More information on the changes to the AHA Heart-Check mark program can be found here.
