FEBRUARY 2003
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
...INTOUCH... Volume 4/Number 2 February
7, 2003
Monthly Updates on Government Action Affecting Food
Labels
Brought to you by: The Food Consulting Company
Your source for food label help at
www.foodlabels.com
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
Greetings! This month we report on important notices
about
the new health claim opportunity for conventional
foods, the
requirement for all food facilities to register with
FDA, and
Canada's long-awaited nutrition labeling rules. Call
on us to
simplify all your food label projects! Choose
SERVICES at
www.foodlabels.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FDA Regulations to Allow Qualified Health Claims on
Foods
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under FDA's new Consumer Health Information for Better
Nutrition
initiative, FDA will now allow manufacturers to
include qualified
health claims on conventional foods; previously,
qualified health
claims were only allowed for dietary supplements. The
initiative
includes three activities:
-- issuing guidance on qualified health claims for
conventional
foods and dietary supplements
-- strengthening enforcement of dietary supplement
rules
-- establishing an FDA Task Force to help consumers
obtain
up-to-date, science-based information about
conventional
foods and dietary supplements, develop additional
scientific
guidance on how the "weight of the evidence"
standard will
be applied, and develop regulations to give these
principles
the force and the effect of law.
Read initiative announcement:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2002/NEW00859.html
Read announcement on the establishment of the Task
Force:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2003/NEW00864.html
Read a corresponding guidance document "Guidance for
Industry: Qualified Health Claims in the Labeling of
Conven-
tional Foods and Dietary Supplements":
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/hclmgui2.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Proposed FDA Regulations Published for Bioterrorism
and Food
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two FDA proposals to implement the Bioterrorism Act
are published
in the February 3, 2003, Federal Register.
-- One proposal requires all food facilities (domestic
and foreign)
that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for
human or animal
consumption in the US to register with FDA by
December 12, 2003.
FDA has stated that the agency plans to issue a
final rule and have
a system in place two months prior to the December
12th date.
Under the Bioterrorism Act, if a firm does not
register by the dead-
line, the US can bring a civil or criminal action
in federal court.
Read FDA notice and access proposed rule:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2003/NEW00865.html
-- The other proposal requires that prior notice be
given to FDA before
food is imported into the US. Under the proposed
rule, FDA must
be notified by noon of the calendar day before the
day the imported
food will arrive at the US border crossing or port
of entry, through an
internet-based system that will be operational 24
hours a day, 7 days
a week. Read FDA notice and access proposed rule:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2003/NEW00866.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Canada Announces New Mandatory Rule for Nutrition
Labels
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New mandatory Canadian labeling requirements were
published
on January 1, 2003. The rule requires a Nutrition
Facts table
and other standardized components related to
ingredients and
nutritional content on food labels for products sold
in Canada.
Manufacturers and importers have up to three years to
comply
with the new regulations; small businesses have five
years.
Access Canada's Nutrition Labeling website at
http://www.healthcanada.ca/nutritionlabelling
Author's Note: One very obvious difference between
the new
Canadian and the existing US labeling regulations is
that
Canada's rules include trans fats, while the final
rule for trans
fat labeling in the US is pending.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
FYI: A new government website can help keep you
abreast of
pending food labeling rules that are open for
comment. All federal
documents that are published in the Federal Register
and open for
comment can be read and commented on at
www.regulations.gov
© Food Consulting Company, 2003. |