Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs of Monroe, New Hampshire, has filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling for it to modify its labeling regulations and allow eggs to be labeled as a healthy food.
“While nutrition experts recognize eggs as a nutritious food, many would probably be surprised to learn that federal regulations prohibit the use of the word ‘healthy’ to describe eggs,” said Jesse Laflamme, Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs CEO. “Our goal with this petition is to encourage the FDA to bring outdated regulations in line with current nutritional science and general consumer awareness and thereby help shoppers make more informed choices in the grocery store aisle.”
Starting in the 1950s, a “phobia of fat and dietary cholesterol” emerged, says Pete and Gerry’s, and the egg’s reputation was much maligned, leaving many today still avoiding eggs. The scare was established by the Framingham Heart Study, which made an unsupported conclusion that ingesting foods high in cholesterol would drive up levels of cholesterol in the blood, which would lead to health problems like heart disease.
“Despite decades of research that has shown no evidence that moderate dietary cholesterol or egg consumption increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, except in people with a strong genetic risk for high cholesterol, I still encounter consumers actively avoiding eggs and missing out on all their nutritional benefits,” said Keri Glassman, MS, RD, CDN and nutritional advisor to Pete and Gerry’s. “I am thrilled to support Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs in its effort to work with the FDA in reconsidering some of its very outdated and misleading regulations. Nutrient-dense foods like eggs, avocados and salmon are incredible additions to a healthful diet, and Americans should be eating more of them! Hopefully, this petition will encourage a positive shift in what defines a ‘healthy’ food.”
Pete and Gerry’s is hopeful that this petition will help fast track the FDA on issuing new labeling regulations on eggs and other nutrient-dense foods.
Pete and Gerry’s Organics LLC describes itself as a values-led company dedicated to the humane treatment of animals and supporting small family farms. In 2003, the company became the first Certified Humane egg producer in the U.S., and in 2013, Pete and Gerry’s became the first egg producer in the world to achieve Certified B-Corporation status.
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