The American Heart Association has a heart-check marker symbol on food packaging at the grocery store to help anyone create a sensible eating plan. It’s called the Heart-Check Food Certification Program. A product must meet the specific nutrition levels within their guidelines to be certified. These levels are based on a single serving size and other aspects of federal health claim regulations.
Foods they don’t certify include medical foods, dietary supplements, meal replacements or alcoholic beverages. Don’t bother looking up your favorite packaged snacks. Unsweetened popcorn is the only certifiable product in the snack category. Desserts aren’t eligible for the certification either. Beverages do make the cut, however, beverages are limited to milk, dairy alternatives, drinkable yogurts, fruit and vegetable juices.
When products are close to exceeding the guide limits for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, trans fats or sodium, the AHA conducts lab testing to verify that it meets their nutritional criteria. A heart-check mark is a symbol to trust when shopping for heart healthy foods in the grocery store.