OCTOBER 2002
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...INTOUCH...
Monthly Updates on Government Action Affecting Food Labels
October 4, 2002
Brought to you by The Food Consulting Company
Your source for food label help
http://www.foodlabels.com
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Greetings! This month The Food Consulting Company
announces
a new "regulatory question" research service. If you
are stumped
about a regulatory labeling matter, we will find the
answer. Read
a description of the service at
http://www.foodlabels.com/services.htm
order at
http://www.foodlabels.com/forms/contact.htm
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Final DRI Report is Released
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On September 5, 2002, the National Academy of Sciences
issued the final Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)
report for the
United States and Canada. The DRI report includes:
energy,
carbohydrates, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol,
protein, and
amino acids, collectively known as macronutrients.
DRIs are
provided in chart form on pages 10-17 of the
guidelines report
summary chapter.
Click here to read guidelines report.
Click here to read press release.
Author's Note: FDA stated previously that they would
not make
a change in Daily Values (DVs) until all DRI reports
were pub-
lished. The release of this final report paves the way
for FDA
action to update DVs for Nutrition Facts and
Supplement Facts.
INTOUCH will keep you posted.
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DRI Panel Provides Fiber Recommendations and
Definitions
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The newly released DRI report for macronutrients
contains the
first-ever recommended intake levels for fiber -- 38g
for adult men
50 years and younger and 25g for adult women 50 years
and
younger; for men and women over 50, the recommended
level is
30g and 21g per day respectively. Recommended intakes
for
children and teenagers are included.
The DRI report also provides a new definition of total
fiber based
on earlier proposed definitions for dietary fiber and
functional
fiber. According to the Food and Nutrition Board press
release,
it is hoped that regulatory bodies in both the United
States and
Canada will work toward adopting these definitions for
regulatory
purposes. The uniform definitions outlined in the
report are:
~ Dietary fiber consists of non-digestible
carbohydrates and
lignin that are intrinsic and intact in plants.
~ Functional fiber consists of isolated,
non-digestible carbo-
hydrates that have beneficial physiological effects in humans.
~ Total fiber is the sum of dietary fiber and
functional fiber.
Click here to read fiber guidelines report (see pages
265-334)
Author's Note: Based on information obtained at the
26th
National Nutrient Databank Conference (June 2002),
analytical
methodology for fiber values may need to change in
order to
encompass the new fiber definitions. INTOUCH will
report on
regulatory developments.
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USDA To Co-sponsor Ecolabel Conference
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A conference on the use of ecolabels (labels placed on
food
packaging that state the food has been produced in an
environ-
mentally and socially preferable way) is scheduled for
November
7-9, in Boston, MA. The conference is being
co-sponsored by
USDA; topics include:
~~ Descriptions of existing ecolabeling programs
~~ Effectiveness and credibility of ecolabels
~~ Domestic and international policy issues
~~ Certified organic: the oldest and best-known
ecolabel
Government agencies that deal with food labeling and
marketing,
such as USDA, FDA, FTC, and state departments of
agriculture
are among the target-audience groups. Click here for
conference
announcement.
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FYI: FDA has provided information about the term "for
further
processing" in regard to "country of origin" labeling.
The informa-
tion is included in a final guidance (Regulatory
Procedures Manual,
Chapter 9, Subchapter, Import for Export) released by
the FDA
Office of Regulatory Affairs. Click here to see the
final guidance.
© Food Consulting Company, 2002. |