In First-of-Its-Kind Move, FDA Seeks to Revoke Soy Heart Health Benefit Claim

The agency thinks the issue is a little more nuanced.

By Sy Mukherjee 6:26 PM ET
Since 1999, food makers have been able to slap a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared claim onto their products that soy protein has proven heart health benefits. But the FDA on Monday moved to revoke that soy heart benefit claim—the first time ever that the agency has attempted to nix a previously authorized health claim.

“Today, we are proposing a rule to revoke a health claim for soy protein and heart disease. For the first time, we have considered it necessary to propose a rule to revoke a health claim because numerous studies published since the claim was authorized in 1999 have presented inconsistent findings on the relationship between soy protein and heart disease,” wrote the agency in a statement.