NOVEMBER 2002
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
...INTOUCH... Volume 3/Number 11 - November
1, 2002
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 marks the beginning of our 10th
year
serving the food industry with food labeling services
and our 3rd
year of bringing food manufacturers and importers the
latest on
government action affecting food labels. We enjoy
serving you!
Visit our website at
http://www.foodlabels.com to choose the
food labeling services that will take the stress out
of your
labeling projects.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FDA Objects to Oregon Initiative for Mandatory GE
Labeling
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A letter sent to Oregon's Governor John Kitzhaber,
October, 4, 2002,
expresses FDA's objection to Oregon's pending ballot
initiative to
require mandatory labeling of foods and food additives
produced
using genetic engineering (GE). Oregonians are to
vote on the
initiative in the general election, November 5. A USA
Today article
(October 9, 2002) reporting on the FDA letter quotes a
senior FDA
official, ''In this letter, we are not promising to
take action, but we
are letting the people of Oregon know, as best we can,
what our
views are about the ordinance.''
Read the FDA letter (posted at a pro-label website):
http://www.thecampaign.org/alert-fda.htm
scroll about half way down to the letter dated October
4, 2002.
Read the USA Today news story:
http://www.thecampaign.org/News/oct02l.htm
Author's Note: See August 2002 INTOUCH for previous
reporting
on this topic:
http://www.foodlabels.com/newsletter.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOP Rules Apply to "Organic" Alcoholic Beverages
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The October 8, Federal Register reports that the
Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) amended the alcohol
labeling and
advertising rules to cross-reference the United States
Department
of Agriculture's (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP)
rules.
Under the amended rule, ATF:
-- Confirms that organic claims in labeling and
advertising of
alcoholic beverages are allowed as long as they
conform to
NOP requirements
-- Recognizes NOP's authority to regulate any
organic claims
on labels of alcoholic beverages
-- Discloses ATF label approval applications that
make organic
claims to the appropriate USDA office
Read amended alcohol labeling rules:
http://www.atf.treas.gov/alcohol/rules/notice_954.pdf
Author's Note: Foods/beverages marketed and sold in
the United
States are regulated by one or more government
agencies including
FDA, USDA, FTC, and ATF (in the case of alcoholic
beverages).
The Food Consulting Company can research your question
regard-
ing which agency/agencies and which rules apply to the
products
you are labeling. Submit your regulatory question to
"regulatory
question" service order at:
http://www.foodlabels.com/forms/contact.htm
Learn about the "regulatory question" research service
at:
http://www.foodlabels.com/services.htm - 4th item,
left column.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Voluntary COOL Guidelines Released
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Voluntary guidelines for Country of Origin Labeling
(COOL) were
published in the Federal Register, October 11, and
became effective
on that date. The 2002 Farm Bill requires mandatory
country of
origin labeling by Sept. 30, 2004. The voluntary
guidelines will serve
in the interim. Food service establishments are
exempt. Per the
guidelines, "covered commodities" (fresh and frozen
muscle cuts of
beef, veal, lamb, pork, fish, fresh and frozen fruits
and vegetables and
peanuts) may be labeled at retail to indicate "country
of origin".
Labeling may appear on the package, display, holding
unit, or bin.
Retailers and their suppliers choosing to adopt the
voluntary guidelines
must comply with all of the provisions contained in
the guidelines. The
voluntary guidelines require that every person that
prepares, stores,
handles, or distributes a covered commodity for retail
sale must keep
records on the country of origin. Read Voluntary COOL
rules:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/COOL/ls0213.pdf
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
FYI: Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
testified to a Senate
subcommittee that ensuring the truthfulness of dietary
supplement ads
is a priority of the FTC's consumer protection
agenda. The Commission
is exploring strategies beyond traditional law
enforcement efforts to curb
deception. The Food Consulting Company provides third
party opinion for
label and marketing / advertising content that may be
controversial, thereby
saving dietary supplement companies the expense of
lost time and money
caused by product recalls and legal action brought
about by faulty product
claims. This service is available on an hourly or
monthly retainer basis.
Request service:
AskUs@foodlabels.com
Read Senate subcommittee testimony:
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2002/10/dietary_testimony.htm
© Food Consulting Company, 2002. |