JULY 2002
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...INTOUCH...
Monthly Updates on Government Action Affecting Food Labels
July 5, 2002
Brought to you by The Food Consulting Company
Your source for food label help
http://www.foodlabels.com
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Greetings to INTOUCH Readers!
For easy, confidential access to expert food labeling
help, visit
our website -
http://www.foodlabels.com - choose SERVICES
for description, ORDERS to request help. We can help
you get
your labels completed quickly!
Update: USDA has informed The Food Consulting Company
that the link for "Organic Perspectives" newsletter
has changed
to:
http://www.fas.usda.gov/agx/organics/organics.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Organic and Natural Products Have High Recall
Rate
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In a June 5, 2002 press release, the Center for Global
Food
Issues* reported that based on a nine-month-long study
of food
recalls in the US and Canada, products marketed as
organic
or "all natural" have significantly higher recall and
warning rates
than conventional foods. Reasons for recalls and
warnings
include failing to label products with potentially
dangerous aller-
genic ingredients and other label mistakes. Read
press release:
http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/first/0605-160.html
*The Center for Global Food Issues is a project of the
Hudson
Institute and is based in Churchville, Virginia,
http://www.cgfi.org/
Author's Note: FDA publishes warning letters issued
by FDA at
http://www.fda.gov/foi/warning.htm and USDA
identifies the ten
most common food labeling mistakes at:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/larc/Label_Mistakes.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FDA Plans for Food Label Regulations are
Discussed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FDA, reporting during the 26th National Nutrient
Databank
Conference, June, 2002, explained:
~~ Trans fatty acid label regulations will not be
finalized until the
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) macronutrient
report
is released later this summer; expect the final
rule in 2003.
~~ FDA, USDA, and Health Canada are co-funding a
24-month
NAS study, with the goal of having consistent
Daily Values
for labeling in the US and Canada. The agencies
are seek-
ing recommendations on how to use the Dietary
Reference
Intakes (DRIs) to come up with the revised Daily
Values
(DVs) for use in nutrition labeling.
~~ FDA will track industry response to food allergen
guidance
in the next Food Label and Package Survey
(FLAPS).
FLAPS is conducted every three years and has
been used
by FDA to monitor the industry response to food
label regu-
lations for 20 years. Compliance to federal
allergen
guidance has not been previously studied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bioterrorism Bill Includes More Scrutiny of Food
Companies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The "bioterrorism bill" signed by President Bush on
June 12, 2002,
calls for:
~~ all facilities (domestic and foreign) who
manufacture, process,
pack, or hold food for consumption in the US, to
be registered
with the Food and Drug Administration,
~~ all importers to give prior notice of shipment to a
US port
including anticipated port of entry.
See pages 195 to 208 of bioterrorism bill at
http://energycommerce.house.gov/107/pubs/H3448_CON.pdf.
Author's Note: This news items is provided as a
"heads-up". The
procedure to complete the two activities has not been
developed
and the final rules have not been published. We will
report on
progress as it develops, in future issues of INTOUCH.
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FYI TIP: During the National Nutrient Databank
Conference, FDA
reminded attendees that federal health agencies
consider obesity
a disease; therefore, the word "obesity" cannot be
mentioned on
a dietary supplement label, on inserts, or on
marketing materials.
Doing so is considered a drug claim. If your product
is con-
sidered a weight loss aid, The Food Consulting Company
can
help you label dietary supplements so that they are
positioned in
the best light within the law. For help, visit our
website:
http://www.foodlabels.com.
© Food Consulting Company, 2002. |