MARCH 2004
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....INTOUCH... Volume 5/Number 3 - March 5, 2004
Monthly Updates on Government Action Affecting Food
Labels
Brought to you by: Food Consulting Company
Your source for food label help at www.foodlabels.com
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Greetings! Food Consulting Company receives questions
daily about carbohydrate statements on food labels. We
know that this topic is of interest to many of our
clients and
so INTOUCH again reports on this issue. Food
Consulting
Company can help you label your products to your best
advantage and within the current FDA regulations.
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FDA Action for Carb Violations on Food Labels is
Described
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In response to a recent inquiry from INTOUCH to FDA on
possible compliance action for products labeled in
violation
of existing FDA regulations for carbohydrate claims,
an FDA
spokesperson stated,
"Compliance actions against companies are evaluated on
a case by case basis. They typically start with a
warning letter
advising a company that FDA believes they are not in
compli-
ance with existing regulations. Usually corrections
are made
by the company that receives the letter, although
sometimes
they contest the issue and it takes some time to work
out a
remedy. Other actions available are seizure of a
product or
an injunction against the manufacturer; typically it
starts with
a warning letter. The goal is to make sure that the
products
out there are safe and properly labeled, and usually
bringing
an issue to the company's attention results in the
corrective
action being made."
....INTOUCH... Comments:
FDA posts warning letters under the Freedom of
Information
(FOI) Act at http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More Comment Prior to FDA Regulations for Trans Fat
Claims
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FDA is reopening the comment period for its July 11,
2003,
Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for trans fat
claims in order to receive comments that consider the
trans
fat aspects of the December 11, 2003, National
Academies
of Science (NAS) report titled "Dietary Reference
Intakes:
Guiding Principles for Nutrition Labeling and
Fortification."
In the report, NAS recommends that FDA establish the
Daily
Values for saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol
at "a
level that is as low as possible in keeping with an
achievable
health-promoting diet." Comments must be received by
April 15, 2004. Read FDA notice:
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/04-4504.htm
....INTOUCH... Comments:
INTOUCH covered the NAS report in February 2004. Read
February 2004 INTOUCH and access NAS report at
http://www.foodlabels.com/newsletter.htm
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CFSAN 2004 Program Priorities Not Yet Released
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As of INTOUCH publication, the 2004 program priorities
for
the Center for Food Safety and Nutrition (CFSAN) have
not
yet been released; therefore it is not clear what food
labeling
issues are prioritized for development during this
fiscal year
which will end September 30, 2004. An FDA food
industry
liaison has told Food Consulting Company that CFSAN's
focus is on bioterrorism and obesity, and that food
label
serving sizes (reference amounts customarily consumed)
are being addressed as related to obesity.
....INTOUCH... Comments:
Recent INTOUCH topics leave one with the sense that
sweeping changes to the nutrition facts on food labels
might be coming in the next several years. Food
Consulting
Company expects the 2004 program priorities to shed
light
on when and if such changes might occur.
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FYI: Via internet news stories, INTOUCH notes that
low-
carb diets have international reach. Reportedly, "glycemic
index" labeling will appear on store-branded foods
sold by
a UK supermarket company. In Canada, food labelers are
eager to take advantage of product positioning for the
low-
carb trend already bubbling in America. Exporters to
Canada should be aware that the new Canadian labeling
laws, which will be mandatory on December 12, 2005, do
not allow label phrases that state or imply a benefit
related
to carbohydrate.
© Food Consulting Company, 2004. |