The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that some popular Kind snack bars are not healthy, due to too much saturated fat. The FDA's letter to Kind LLC warned that at least four flavors of the manufacturer did not meet the standards for a "healthy" label.
The Mar. 17 warning letter was addressed to Daniel Lubetzky, CEO of Kind LLC. The FDA tested at least four KIND flavors before making its conclusion.
Kind's snack bars are booming in a $2.8 billion nutrition and energy bar industry. Its sales growth grew over 80 percent to 458 million units in 2014, while competing against giants such as Kellogg's and General Mills.
The FDA made several complaints about Kind's packaging and homepage. They included phrases such as "no trans fats," and "Good Source of Fiber."
The FDA listed rules that limit the use of "healthy" to describe foods that meet certain requirements. They can have a maximum of one gram of saturated fat, which makes up a maximum of 15 percent of the calories, according to Quartz. The bars tested ranged from 2.5 to 5 grams of fat. The FDA also noted that Kind cannot use the term "plus" for the flavor that includes "+ Protein." That is because the peanut butter does not include enough protein.
Even the company information listed on the packaging was not specific enough for the FDA as it was unable to figure out the "physical location" of the company.
Meanwhile, Kind stated on its website that it is trying to "comply" with the FDA's request. It also promised to make the information on its product labels and website "compliant."
However, Kind has also argued that nuts are one of the ingredients that cause its products to "exceed" the FDA's rules, according to Bloomberg. It claimed that nuts are also full of "nutritious fats."
The FDA is requiring Kind to take actions to solve the violations of its product labeling. If it does not the FDA could ban its bars from the shelves of stores, or even file for a court order.