I stand by the statement. The government themselves produce nutritional guidelines, and make claims that particular foods are healthy. Why should a company have to prove to the government that a particular food has health benefits, when the government already implicitly agrees that it does?
“””On its website and packaging, the company stated that the omega-3 fatty acids found in walnuts have been shown to have certain health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer. These claims, Faloon notes, are well supported by scientific research: “Life Extension has published 57 articles that describe the health benefits of walnuts”; and “The US National Library of Medicine database contains no fewer than 35 peer-reviewed published papers supporting a claim that ingesting walnuts improves vascular health and may reduce heart attack risk.”””
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Ok, here are the “specifics” I was referring to.
Diamond walnuts stated on their web site and labeling the following:...”omega-3 fatty acids found in walnuts have been shown to have certain health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer”
By using the words “...,including reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer” they made a specific claim. That was their mistake. Later in the article you see that studies have supported that walnuts “may” have health benefits.
I understand everyone’s frustrations related to the FDA. I deal with FDA regulations everyday. I am just stating the facts around the relgulations.
As a food producer Diamond nows the regulations and allowed something to get through their review process. Also,the regulations they violated have been in place for decades.
If you want to see all of the companies sited for “misbranding” on a daily basis by the FDA go to their website.
What happended is not new or unusual and Diamond can change their website and labels and get on with business. They may need to recall any products with the labeling but that will be negotiated with the FDA. The “injunction” statement is standard wording in their notifications.
They can say all day long that their walnuts are healthy. They can’t say that they reduce the risk of heart attack or cure cancer.