FDA approves health claims petition for mac nuts

KAILUA-KONA — The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved a petition from Royal Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Inc. to claim that the consumption of macadamia nuts can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease under certain circumstances, the company said Monday.

The decision comes after close to two years of review by the FDA, the company said, raising recognition of macadamia nuts as a potentially healthy food and bringing benefits to the macadamia nut industry as a whole.

“This is a truly a historic day for everyone in the macadamia nut industry,” said Scott Wallace of Royal Hawaiian Macadamia Nut. “Research about the benefits macadamia nuts have for heart health has existed for decades, and we’ve worked tirelessly to secure the legal right to share this with the masses. Many people associate almonds, pistachios and walnuts with better health, but this momentous decision from the FDA now puts macadamia nuts in a similar category.”

The FDA has already approved a qualified health claim related to the consumption of other tree nuts, but this is the first time the feds have extended one specifically to macadamia nuts.

Macadamia nuts are free of cholesterol, the company said, and are high in monounsaturated fats, the same as those found in olive oil and avocados.

The announcement said the following statement can now be used in connection with the consumption of whole or chopped macadamia nuts served in certain ways.

“Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces per day of macadamia nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol and not resulting in increased intake of saturated fat or calories may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”

Coronary heart disease is the country’s leading cause of death in men and women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.