Label claims on packaged food could be misleading: ICMR

Experts Question Claim , That Yogurt Can Help , Prevent Type 2 Diabetes. Associated Press reports that the United States Food and Drug Association's recently allowed yogurt producers to claim it reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes. . However, at the time, the agency acknowledged that the claim is based on limited evidence. In 2018, Danone North America, the U.S. side of the French firm, sought FDA clearance for making the "qualified health claim.". Qualified health claims lack full scientific support but are allowed as long as manufacturers include a disclaimer to avoid misleading the public. Similar qualified health claims have been allowed for dietary supplements since 2000 and for food products since 2002. . In March of 2024, the FDA granted Danone's request. . According to the FDA, there is some evidence that eating at least 2 cups of yogurt a week could reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, which impacts about 36 million Americans. Critics of the FDA's decision have countered that the claim is not based on randomized control trials which could prove or disprove yogurt's purported health benefits. Critics of the FDA's decision have countered that the claim is not based on randomized control trials which could prove or disprove yogurt's purported health benefits. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group, cautions that no single food can reduce the risk of developing a disease linked to overall diet. AP reports that experts have expressed concerns that the label change could encourage people to eat yogurt high in sugar, which could increase the risk of developing diabetes