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  4. Heart-Check Certification
  5. Heart-Check in the Grocery Store
  6. Heart-Check Mark Non-Certifiable Products

Heart-Check Mark Non-Certifiable Products

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The Heart-Check Food Certification Program does not certify:

  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Candy and confections
  • Desserts, including:
    • All cakes (including angel food, chiffon and sponge cakes; cheesecake; pineapple upside-down cake; fruit, nut and vegetable cakes; Boston cream pie; and cupcakes)
    • Brownies
    • Candied fruit
    • Coffee cakes
    • Cookies
    • Crumb cakes
    • Custard, pudding, gelatin
    • Doughnuts, Danishes, sweet rolls, toaster pastries
    • Eclairs and cream puffs
    • Grain-based dessert bars, such as fig bars
    • Ice cream, ice milk, frozen yogurt and sherbet; frozen flavored ice and pops; frozen fruit juice bars; gelato
    • Pie filling
    • Pies, cobblers, fruit crisps, turnovers and other pastries
  • Dietary supplements
  • Diet-branded and weight-loss products
  • Foods containing partially hydrogenated oil (trans fat)
  • Medical foods
  • Meal replacements

In addition, a product may not be eligible for certification if:

  • It does not align with American Heart Association diet and lifestyle recommendations.
  • Government regulatory requirements limit the use of a heart symbol in the product category.
  • Program nutritional requirements have not been developed for the category.
  • The product is produced by a tobacco company or subsidiary of a tobacco company.

View the current list of Heart-Check certified foods.


Last Reviewed: May 1, 2023

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Heart-Check Certification

Heart-Check Certification
  • Contact the Heart-Check Certification Food Program
  • How the Heart-Check Food Certification Program Works
  • How a Food Becomes Heart-Check Certified
  • Why You Can Trust the Heart-Check Mark
  • Heart-Check Research and Publications
  • Heart-Check in the Grocery Store
    • Heart-Check Food Certification Program Nutrition Requirements
    • Certified Foods in the Grocery Store
    • Heart-Check Digital Grocery List
    • Heart-Check Mark Non-Certifiable Products
  • Heart-Check Certified Recipes
    • Heart-Check Recipe Certification Program Nutrition Requirements

*All health/medical information on this website has been reviewed and approved by the American Heart Association, based on scientific research and American Heart Association guidelines. Find more information on our content editorial process.

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