Before last weekend, I always had a KIND granola bar on hand. This changed after I came across a Bustle article that sparked my interest: Are KIND Bars Bad For You? This article led me to more posts about a conflict between KIND and the FDA. As an avid KIND snack consumer, I had to read more.
I found that the US Food and Drug Administration wrote a letter to KIND about the mislabeling of some KIND bar flavors back in March. The letter stated that KIND Fruit & Nut Almond & Apricot, Fruit & Nut Almond & Coconut, Plus Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate & Protein, and Plus Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew & Antioxidants were incorrectly labeled as health foods.
On their packaging, KIND claimed that their bars were a good source of fiber, low in sodium, and had 50% of your daily value of antioxidants and no trans fats. By saying this, the bars passed the requirements to be labeled as a healthy snack.
When the FDA learned that not all KIND flavors met the requirements to be a health food and were being mislabeled, the FDA took action. The FDA told KIND that none of the flavors stated above passed the requirements to be labeled as “healthy.”
If you are a KIND bar lover, much like myself, have no fear. In response to the FDA’s letter, KIND released a public statement for all of its fans. They said that nuts, which are a great source of protein and main ingredient in many of their products, contain an excess amount of fat for FDA’s standards. KIND continued to say, “This is similar to other foods that do not meet the standard for use of the term healthy, but are generally considered to be good for you like avocados, salmon and eggs.”
Overall, lessons can be learned from the KIND bar scandal. Always remember everything is good in moderation, and as consumers, we should be aware of FDA labeling. Just because a product is labeled as “healthy” doesn’t mean we can eat unlimited quantities of it.
While the FDA won’t allow KIND to label all of their snacks as health foods, consumers should also know that munching on a KIND bar doesn’t make your snack choice “unhealthy”. So go ahead and grab that KIND bar for a snack. Just don’t forget to eat some fruit every once in awhile.