DECEMBER
2003
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...INTOUCH... Volume 4/Number 12 - December
5, 2003
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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Seasons Greetings! We wish you happy times with
family
and friends. As you plan for your 2004 food labeling
pro-
jects, visit our website at
http://www.foodlabels.com for
speedy online ordering.
Don't forget! We have a new toll-free fax number:
800-522-3545.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obesity Group Schedules Report / Talks about Nutrition
Labels
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FDA has announced that the Obesity Working Group (OWG)
will have a final report for FDA Commissioner, Mark B.
McClellan, in February 2004. An exact date is not
stated.
According to news reports of the November 20, 2003,
OWG
meeting, several labeling modifications were discussed
including listing total calories per package along
with calories
per serving and stating how much exercise would be
required
to burn off calories contained in the package.
Read FDA Talk Paper:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2003/ANS01264.html
...INTOUCH... Comments: The labeling changes being
discussed will need to pass through the usual FDA
procedures
before they would be required on food labels. It is
unlikely that
this would be accomplished by December 31, 2004, and
therefore any label changes that result from the OWG
would not
be mandatory before January 1, 2006. FDA established
January 1, 2006, as the uniform compliance date for
food label-
ing regulations that are issued between January 1,
2003, and
December 31, 2004.
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Senate Acts to Amend FDA Regulations on Allergen
Labeling
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On November 21, 2003, the Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions (HELP) Committee of the United States Senate
unanimously approved S. 741, a bill that includes the
proposed Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer
Protection
Act of 2003. In a November 24, 2003, FDA statement,
Commissioner Mark B. McClellan applauded this action.
According to a news release from the HELP committee
chairman, the Food Allergen Act establishes the
require-
ment for plain language labeling of allergic
substances in
food. In addition, the bill:
-- requires manufacturers to label the presence of the
major eight allergens (milk, eggs, soy, peanuts,
tree
nuts, wheat, fish, and shellfish) in foods
-- permits manufacturers to choose between two label-
ing paradigms
-- requires the Secretary to publish national data on
the
prevalence of food allergies and the incidence of
deaths and injuries
-- requires the Secretary to define "gluten free" as a
voluntary claim for food products
News accounts of the bill's passage to the full Senate
indicate that the bill has strong bipartisan support
and
support from the Bush administration.
Read HELP Chairman's news release:
http://gregg.senate.gov/press/press112103.pdf
Read FDA statement:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2003/NEW00982.html
...INTOUCH... Comments: An internet copy of S. 741
was
not reachable at the time of INTOUCH publication. It
will be
available at
http://thomas.loc.gov/ (a legislative information
site provided by the United States Library of
Congress).
The committee's goal is to require allergen labeling
per the
bill by January 1, 2006.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FDA Announces Study for Trans Fat Claims on Food
Labels
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the November 10, 2003, Federal Register, FDA
announced
a proposed collection of information (in this case, an
experi-
mental study) of trans fat claims on food products
that will help
the agency formulate decisions and policies affecting
labeling
requirements for trans fat claims on foods. This
proposed
study is subsequent to FDA's "advance notice of
proposed
rulemaking" published in the July 10, 2003, Federal
Register.
FDA has requested emergency processing of the experi-
mental study proposal from the Office of Management
and
Budget (OMB). Comments on the necessity of the study
and
other related issues should be submitted to OMB by
December 10, 2003.
See Federal Register announcement:
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/03-28194.htm
...INTOUCH... Comments: The Federal Register announce-
ment does not provide a timeline for when the study
would be
completed and when consequent final regulations would
be
published. The request for emergency processing
suggests
that FDA is interested in sooner-rather-than-later
action to
develop trans fat label claims and qualifying
statements.
Read about and access the trans fat Final Rule, as
reported
in the August, 2003, issue of INTOUCH at
http://www.foodlabels.com/archive/2003_08.html.
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FYI: The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
(CFSAN)
Fiscal Year 2004 Program Priorities may shed light on
how
FDA plans to address OWG recommendations, allergen
labeling,
and further trans fat labeling. According to a
spokesperson from
CFSAN, the FY2004 priorities will probably be
published
sometime "between now and mid-January."
CFSAN FY2003 Program Priorities Report Card has been
released. The list of accomplishments includes many
food
labeling issues; all have been previously reported by
INTOUCH.
Access CFSAN FY2003 Report Card:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cfsann03.html
Access INTOUCH Archive:
http://www.foodlabels.com/newsletter.htm
© Food Consulting Company, 2003. |