Eating healthy is confusing. Fruit? Sure. Fruit snacks? Not so much.

As an FDA-regulated term, “healthy” is outdated. That’s why this week the FDA finally proposed new criteria for manufacturers that want to use the term on US packaging.

Back in 1994…

… the FDA released its first definition of “healthy.” It largely focused on fat content, meaning a sugary cereal could pass, but not salmon or avocados.

In 2015, the FDA told Kind it couldn’t call some of its snack bars “healthy” due to their saturated fat content. Kind argued it came from nuts.

This led to a push for an updated definition, and a public hearing on the matter occurred in 2017.

Updated rules…

… would automatically count water and raw whole fruits and veggies as healthy. Other products would have to:

• Contain a meaningful amount of food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups (e.g., fruit, vegetables, protein, dairy, etc.)” as recommended by the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
• Fall under limits for sugar, sodium, and saturated fats. Nuts and seeds would not count toward saturated fat limits.

Example: Cereal would need three-quarter ounces of whole grains, and less than 2.5 grams of added sugars.

Would it make us healthier?

The healthy label is voluntary, and ~5% of foods have it, per CNN. It’s unclear if manufacturers would be motivated to reformulate products to meet tighter parameters.

The FDA has also proposed slapping a symbol on healthy foods to help shoppers quickly identify them.

But the Center for Science in the Public Interest thinks it’d work better to warn consumers of particularly unhealthy foods.

While marketing to Gen Z is notoriously challenging, some brands seem to have it figured out.

Morning Consult surveyed thousands of Gen Z adults, and the data revealed some interesting findings about their preferences, including:

• Gen Z loves junk food. Of the demographic’s top 20 brands, 35% are snacks, including Doritos, Oreos, and Pringles.
• Gen Z is hard to please: The group’s average favorability rating is 27%, compared with 33% for all adults.
• Gen Z is very online. Among the brands that Gen Z favors more than the general public are TikTok, Discord, and Snapchat.

So what can we learn from all this? The fastest way to Gen Z’s heart is probably through their belly or their iPhone.

Speaking from experience — emails can take up too much of the workday.

So, HubSpot eliminated the guesswork from a ton of potentially awkward communications, like reaching out after interviews, networking events, sales meetings, and more. Take this pack of pristine follow-up email templates.

Thirty direct messages included:

• Professional, customizable templates
• For prospects, recruiters, colleagues, and more
• Save time, but not at the cost of personal touch

Stash this wherever you keep useful things.

… Recs to pair with your Friday milkshake, Saturday iced tea, or Sunday Turkey and Gravy Soda.

ICYMI:

• Zack explored the halls of one of America’s last piano manufacturers to see how it stays alive.
• Jacob made some predictions about how Apple’s lucrative AirPods strategy may be used down the road.
• The Hustle blog took a deep dive into the practice of corporate social responsibility and why it matters.

Spot the fake:

• Vine is returning… with a twist.
• In Australia, a sheep with “exceptional muscle” just sold for $240k.
• American Airlines is being haunted by weird moaning.

🏰 On this day: In 2005, Michael Eisner resigned as Disney’s CEO after 21 years with the company. He was replaced by Robert Iger.

😴 How to: Tell if you’re not getting enough sleep.

🐱 Cure boredom: Popular movies and TV shows reimagined with cats. Most of the videos are in Spanish, but cat videos are universal, are they not?

🎧 Podcast: Listen to this episode of Outbound Squad (formerly Blissful Prospecting) to hear Jason Bay explain why win rates increase by 127% when a prospect's webcam is on.

🤠 Aww: An emu tries Dolly Parton’s pet fashion line.

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2. “There are marine animals that never see the surface or the sea floor. To them, there’s only infinite ocean.”  SOURCE
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3. “In a world where superheroes exist, you’d be stupid not to take a construction-related profession.”  SOURCE
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5. “One day, one of you will be known as the last villager who can still read and write the dead language of cursive.”  SOURCE
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