JANUARY 2004
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...INTOUCH... Volume 5/Number 1 - January
2, 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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Happy New Year! We can help you move your labeling
pro-
jects speedily to completion. To select the help and
services
you want, visit our website at
http://www.foodlabels.com.
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FTC Gives Media Guidance to Screen Out Bogus Claims
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a free
media
reference guide entitled "Red Flag: Bogus Weight Loss
Claims." The guide is designed to help media outlets
volun-
tarily screen out bogus weight loss ads by comparing
ad copy
to seven common weight-loss claims that are
scientifically
infeasible at the current time. The seven Red Flag
claims are
in relation to dietary supplements, nonprescription
drugs, skin
patches, creams, wraps, earrings, or other products
worn on
the body or rubbed into the skin, but not to other
diet products
and services, such as prescription drugs, meal
replacement
products, low calorie foods, surgery, hypnosis,
special diets,
or exercise equipment.
The guide for voluntary screening of ads is an outcome
of a
November 2002 workshop and subsequent meetings with
trade associations and media outlets over the past
year that
examined deception in weight loss advertising.
In a December 9, 2003, news release, FTC Chairman
Timothy J. Muris stated, "We know that no publication
or
station wants to print or air false weight-loss
claims." and,
"We encourage the media to use it."
Read FTC news release and access Red Flag website:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/12/weightlossrpt.htm
...INTOUCH... Comments: INTOUCH last reported on FTC
efforts to stop fraudulent ads in March 2003. See
INTOUCH
archive at
http://www.foodlabels.com/newsletter.htm.
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"Kraft Notification" Leads to Health Claim for Food
Labels
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As of December 9, 2003, manufacturers may use the
health
claim, "Diets rich in whole grain foods and other
plant foods,
and low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may help
reduce the
risk of heart disease." The claim is allowed
following the
"Kraft notification" to FDA that cited several
authoritative
statements by the National Academy of Sciences, which
was
submitted as per the requirements of the FDA
Modernization
Act of 1997.
Read FDA Health Claim Notification:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/flgrain2.html
...INTOUCH... Comments: In the notification process,
Kraft
defined "whole grain foods" as foods that contain 51%
or
more whole grain ingredients by weight per reference
amount customarily consumed (RACC). FDA's
notification
implies FDA agreement with this definition.
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MEAL Act Would Amend FDA Regulations
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The Menu Education And Labeling (MEAL) Act has been
introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The
bill
number is H.R. 3444. The intent is to amend the
Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ensure that consumers
receive information about the nutritional content of
restaurant
foods. Among the eight "findings" listed to support
MEAL:
the recognized link between diet and health, the link
between increased caloric intake and increasing
obesity,
and the significant increase in the number of meals
prepared
outside the home.
To access the MEAL Act, go to
http://thomas.loc.gov
and
type H.R. 3444 in the "Bill Number" search box.
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FYI: FDA has announced that three test kit methods for
the
detection of peanut proteins in food items have been
approved by the Association of Official Analytical
Chemists.
These kits will provide a quick and reliable method
for the
food industry to more readily detect the presence of
peanuts
in food.
© Food Consulting Company, 2004. |