NOVEMBER 2001
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...INTOUCH...
Monthly Updates on Government Action Affecting Food Labels
November 2, 2001
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 marks the beginning of
our 9th year in
business and our 2nd year of bringing food
manufacturers and
importers the latest on government action affecting
food labels.
Thank you for being with us each month.
Visit our web site at
www.foodlabels.com
to find the help you
need with label development and modification.
NOW THE NEWS!
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More Pressure To Require Allergen
Labeling
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FDA was petitioned by Center for Science in the Public
Interest (CSPI) in October to require food
manufacturers to
disclose allergens on their labels. The petition
states that
despite a similar petition filed in May, 2000, by
Attorneys
General of nine states and the FDA's own admission
that the
undeclared presence of allergens in foods is a serious
public
health issue, FDA has failed to require the allergen
labeling.
Read CSPI news release and access petition:
http://www.cspinet.org/new/food_allergens.html
Author's Note: The eight allergens likely to be
impacted by
any future regulation are: peanuts, eggs, milk and
milk by-
products, wheat, tree nuts, soy, fish, and shellfish.
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FDA Warns of DSHEA Violations
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On October 24, two dietary supplement manufacturers
were
warned that they were selling unapproved drugs and not
dietary
supplements. The particular products combined
acetaminophen
with melatonin, glucosamine sulfate, or chondroitin
sulfate. FDA
said the presence of acetaminophen in dietary
supplements
renders the product a drug. The companies were
ordered to
correct the violation immediately. Warning letters
will be posted
at
http://63.75.126.221/scripts/wlcfm/recentfiles.cfm.
The letters
were not posted at INTOUCH publication time.
Author's Note: FDA constantly monitors products
regarding
compliance to NLEA and DSHEA. The Food Consulting
Company offers label compliance reviews to help you
avoid
costly violations.
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Carrageenan Linked to Ulcers and Cancer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a review article, published in the October, 2001,
online issue
of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives,
carrageenan
was linked to colonic ulcerations and gastrointestinal
neo-
plasms in animal experiments. See abstract:
http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109p983-994tobacman/abstract.html
Author's Note: Consumer groups watch for such news
and
sometimes bring it to public attention; this can
affect consumer
product acceptance.
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FYI Tip! Center for Science in the Public interest (CSPI),
one
of the country's most vocal consumer watch groups,
advises
readers in its November issue that genetically
engineered
foods currently on the market are safe to eat. Read
CSPI
news release and access article:
http://www.cspinet.org/new/gefoods_pr1.html
INTOUCH reported on FDA's draft document for labeling
of
bioengineered foods in March, 2001.
See archives:
http://www.foodlabels.com/newsletter.htm
© Food Consulting Company, 2001. |