October 11, 2011—The American Heart Association will expand and improve its Heart-Check Food Certification Program to allow certification of more foods that contain the healthier fats, including fish, nuts and other foods higher in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The updated Food Certification Program also will include revised sodium allowances and screening guidelines to limit added sugars and promote dietary fiber in certified products.
Fish, nuts and other foods with heart-health benefits, such as “better fats” (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), are eligible for immediate certification. The updated requirements for sodium, sugar and fiber will be effective in 2014 to allow food manufacturers time to reformulate their production processes.
The Heart-Check program allows consumers to identify heart-healthy foods when making purchasing decisions and was updated to align with the American Heart Association’s healthy eating and lifestyle recommendations identified as part of its 2020 goal to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20% by 2020.
To learn more about the Heart-Check Food Certification Program and for a complete list of certified products and participating companies, as well as the nutritional criteria, visit www.heartcheckmark.org.
American Heart Association Heart-Check Food Certification Program