Detailing the Selection Process for the 2025 Pantry Awards on Our Site

Detailing the Selection Process for the 2025 Pantry Awards on Our Site

Revamped Article:

Hey there, folks! The chatter surrounding "healthy eating" has reached a boiling point, and GLP-1s are everywhere. The MAHA movement, led by US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has taken center stage in the fight against ultraprocessed foods. But let's face it, the health and wellness scene has been cycling through buzzwords for ages. Words like gluten, clean, ultraprocessed, organic, and sustainable have graced our grocery aisles only to be replaced by the next big thing.

Our team at SELF believes in balance and moderation. We say, go ahead and have that cake if you want it! The quest for better health is commendable, but all the TikTok scrolling and bandwagon-jumping can leave you feeling lost and confused about making informed decisions for your health.

During our discussions for the 2025 SELF Pantry Awards, we found ourselves asking: Can we, as a health and wellness brand, endorse ultraprocessed foods knowing the science points toward harmful health conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and poor mental health? We had to consider the toll convenience takes on our daily lives. After all, who hasn't felt like a failure for giving their one-year-old an organic smoothie pouch instead of a homemade pureé? Would ignoring convenient options be ignoring the realities of everyday life, particularly for women who bear the brunt of meal prepping and planning?

We consulted with registered dietitians to find an answer. Their advice? Just because a food is considered ultraprocessed doesn't mean it's completely devoid of health benefits. It's a myth that ultraprocessed foods are bad for you. In fact, some can be healthy, convenient, and delicious. That's why we decided to create more stringent criteria for this year's winners, rooted in recommendations from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the US Department of Health and Human Services. Our aim was to add to the conversation and help you make healthier choices without overwhelming you.

So if you're looking to make small, everyday changes that support your health while staying realistic about modern life, check out our 2025 Pantry Awards. These changes won't turn you into a sourdough starter expert overnight, but they're a great starting point.

Criterion for the 2025 SELF Pantry Awards:

1. One serving should have a target range of saturated fat (1 to 4 grams).
2. One serving should have a target range of sodium (115 to 460 milligrams).
3. One serving should have a target range of added sugar (2.5 to 10 grams).
4. Bonus points: Whole foods should be listed as one of the first few ingredients.

The Short and Sweet:

If you want to make healthier swaps at home, we recommend adding items from our 2025 Pantry Award winners to your cart. This doesn't mean you should exclusively purchase and eat foods that meet our criteria, and it doesn't mean you should obsess over the nutrition facts label of everything you consume. Remember, balance is key! Many of these items can be combined with fresh foods to create quick, healthy meals for you and your family.

The Longer Story:

In December 2024, the FDA announced a "final rule" on how the word "healthy" can be used on food packaging[2]. Brands and manufacturers can't just slap the term on a product - the item must meet specific standards to earned the label.

A "healthy" item must (1) contain "a certain amount of food" from at least one of the food groups or subgroups recommended by the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans and (2) have a limited amount of added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats[1].

For the Pantry Awards, registered dietitians suggested focusing on whole foods and food groups in a more straightforward way: A good rule of thumb is to ensure that an actual food - from a food group like dairy, vegetables, or seafood - is listed as one of the first few ingredients on the Nutrition Facts label. Food ingredient lists are written in descending order by weight, so it's safe to assume that the more something weighs, the more of it is actually in the item.

The FDA's second part of the "healthy" food definition - limiting added sugars, sodium, and saturated fats - is easier to navigate[1]. You can determine if a value is "high" by comparing it to these ranges:

• Saturated fat: 1 gram (low); 4 grams (high)
• Sodium: 115 milligrams (low); 460 milligrams (high)
• Added sugar: 2.5 grams (low); 10 grams (high)

All of our winners meet these criteria. Nutrient-dense foods with no added ingredients besides water already qualify as healthy under the FDA definition, and there are plenty of shelf-stable, packaged goods that can be considered healthy. You just need to know how to look for them.

Understanding the FDA's "healthy" food definition and applying its guidelines can be overwhelming, especially when standing in the middle of Trader Joe's on a Sunday afternoon. To help make grocery shopping a breeze, we've created this cheat sheet[4]. You can use it by matching each category covered in the Pantry Awards with red flags for common nutrient groups that tend to skew high for that type of product and beneficial qualities like olive oil-based mayo or low sodium beans.

Finally, remember that balance is crucial. These guidelines aren't food "rules" - something you can or even should apply all the time. Instead, they're a helpful starting point if you're curious about making a few healthier swaps during your grocery shopping adventure.

Testing the 2025 SELF Pantry Awards:

We received 635 entries for the 2025 SELF Pantry Awards, and after weeding out items that didn't fit our healthy eating criteria, we were left with 346 items. After months of testing, we landed on 73 winners: protein bars, stir-fry sauces, tinned fish, instant coffee and prebiotic soda, and even potato chips. They can be used for snacks on the go, gorgeous Girl Dinners, or lazy Sunday breakfasts. Head over to the 2025 Pantry Awards page to shop our winners and read our latest feature on the nefarious impacts of the movement to ban and admonish ultraprocessed foods[5].

[1] https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-education-resources-materials/healthy-food-labeling[2] https://www.fda.gov/food/guidance-regulation/guidance-documents-food-labels/final-rule-defining-and-allowing-use-the-term-healthy-food-labels[3] https://www.myplate.gov/sodium-drinks-and-foods-high-sodium[4] https://www.self.com/pantry-awards-2025-cheat-sheet[5] https://www.self.com/story/ultraprocessed-food-ban-impacts-american-diet

1. The revived health and wellness scene often fluctuates, with words like 'mental health', 'nutrition', and 'diet' frequently dominating discussions on food and lifestyle.
2. Many question the necessity of ultraprocessed foods due to their potential links to health conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and poor mental health.
3. During discussions for SELF's Pantry Awards, the team pondered the appropriateness of endorsing ultraprocessed foods given the scientific evidence, acknowledging the convenience these foods offer in our bustling lives.
4. Registered dietitians advised that not all ultraprocessed foods are detrimental to health; some can even be healthy, convenient, and delicious, provided they meet certain criteria.
5. The 2025 SELF Pantry Awards have stringent criteria rooted in recommendations from governmental bodies like the USDA, FDA, and the US Department of Health and Human Services to ensure winners promote health and wellness without overwhelming consumers.
6. By following the FDA's guidelines and understanding the "healthy" food definition, individuals can make informed decisions about their food choices, combining Pantry Award winners with fresh foods to create quick, healthy meals for their families while maintaining balance and moderation in their lifestyle.

Read also: