Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Keating led a bipartisan group of twenty-eight House Members and Senators urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to redefine its proposed definition of “healthy,” which would exclude most cranberry and tart cherry products.
Like Congressman Keating, who represents Southeastern Massachusetts where cranberry bogs are prevalent, the signatories of the letter all represent states and/or districts where cranberries and tart cherries are locally grown.
Currently, the FDA’s proposed rule redefining “healthy” only includes dried fruits containing no added sugars. Because both cranberries and tart cherries have low intrinsic sugar content, they require sweetening for most consumers and products.
According to the FDA’s own findings, this added sugar is indistinguishable from naturally occurring sugars in fruits. Further, both cranberries and tart cherries are known to be nutrient-dense foods with similar or lower sugar content than other dried fruits where the sugars are naturally occurring like raisins. Thus, the proposed rule would undermine its intent to encourage Americans to have a healthier diet.
As stated by the Members in the letter to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf:
“As currently written, the proposal will discourage the consumption of nutrient-rich cranberry and tart cherry products, undermining the purpose of the proposed rule…While the proposed rule recognizes exceptions for other unique products (e.g., eggs, shellfish), if the rule remains as proposed, dried cranberries and tart cherries will be unfairly disadvantaged in the marketplace. This would not only harm farmers who cultivate these fruits, but also American consumers who could be discouraged from consuming these nutrient-dense products.”
The comment period for this proposed rule ends on February 16, 2023. In addition to Congressman Keating, the letter was signed by:
Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey,
Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary C. Peters,
Wisconsin Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson,
Utah Senators Mitt Romney and Michael S. Lee
Washington Congressman Derek Kilmer
Massachusetts House Members Stephen F. Lynch, James P. McGovern, Jake Auchincloss, Lori Trahan, Seth Moulton, Ayanna Pressley, Richard E. Neal, and Katherine M. Clark
Pennsylvania House Members Susan Wild and Brian Fitzpatrick
New Jersey House Members Andy Kim, Jefferson Van Drew, and Josh Gottheimer
Utah House Members Blake Moore, Burgess Owens, John R. Curtis, and Chris Stewart
Wisconsin House Member Mark Pocan and Tom Tiffany
Congressman Keating is the chair of the House Cranberry Caucus and Senator Baldwin is the Chair of the Senate Cranberry Caucus.
