Eggs should be able to make “healthy” claims on cartons, and the number of eggs offered by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) should expand, UEP said in two comments on proposed regulations. In one action, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing revisions to the conditions for products that want to use the word “healthy” as an on-pack claim. The other regulation from the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) would revise the foods available through WIC.

UEP applauded FDA for proposing to remove cholesterol from the criteria for making “healthy” claims. “Decades-old beliefs that dietary cholesterol raises blood cholesterol are simply not true for most people,” UEP wrote. “Moreover, U.S. cholesterol intake is not excessive in any case.” UEP also supported FDA’s plan to relax saturated fat limits enough that eggs would qualify to make the claim.

Commenting on the WIC proposed rule, UEP wrote that the number of eggs supplied to participants should increase from one dozen a month to 18. The National WIC Association (NW), representing the state agencies administering the program, supports authorizing 18-count cartons. UEP has worked with NWA in developing comments. UEP said the 18-count carton should be an option and that if participants wanted to stretch egg purchases out over a more extended period, they should be able to obtain a 1-dozen carton and a half-dozen carton.