Del Mar, CA (August 27,
2003) - The Food Consulting Company, specializing in
the preparation of regulation-compliant food label
components for the food industry, is ready to create
Nutrition Facts panels for food labels based on the
July, 2003, FDA Final Rule for trans fat labeling. The
immediate availability of this service means that
companies can pass products through the hurdles of the
rule and be in compliance well before the mandatory
compliance date of January 1, 2006.
The trans fat rule is the first significant change to
the Nutrition Facts panel since the Nutrition Labeling
and Education Act (NLEA) became law in 1993.
Consequent to the rule, the Nutrition Facts panel for
nearly all FDA-regulated foods must be revised to
include the trans fat content along with the 14 other
previously-required mandatory nutrients. Even products
that contain no fat or no trans fat will be required
to list the absence of trans fat on the label.
Determining trans fat content in foods “is not a piece
of cake,” according to Karen Duester, registered
dietitian and president of The Food Consulting
Company. “FDA has just now defined trans fatty acids
and established the methods for analyzing them. It
takes a good understanding of the chemical make-up of
fats and knowledge of how the previously-reported data
was obtained in order to be able to determine the
trans fatty acid composition of a product,” Duester
explained.
In some cases, labels will have to wait when the data
for the trans fat value is to be derived by database
because ingredient suppliers have not been able, until
now with the FDA definitions, to have their own “fat”
ingredients analyzed.
“The distant compliance date might imply plenty of
time, but savvy labelers will want accurate trans fat
values and updated Nutrition Facts panels as soon as
possible so that the new panels will be ready to be
incorporated into new label plates and print runs when
current label inventories expire, or when labels are
updated to reflect formulation changes or label design
changes -- all in order to gain economic savings,”
Duester said.
The Food Consulting Company, based in Del Mar, CA, is
the largest out-source provider assisting food
companies in meeting FDA and USDA labeling
requirements. The company offers a full range of food
labeling services including product analysis (both
database and laboratory), nutrition facts panels,
ingredient statements, full label compliance packages,
shelf life evaluations, final label reviews, and
INTOUCH, a free monthly email newsletter that keeps
food companies informed on government action affecting
food labels. Duester can be reached through the
company web site at
http://www.foodlabels.com, or by calling
800-793-2844.
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© Food
Consulting Company, 2003.
