AUGUST
2003
~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~
...INTOUCH... Volume 4/Number 8 - August 1,
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
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
Greetings! This issue of INTOUCH is devoted to
highlights of
the Final Rule for trans fat labeling that was
published in the July
11, 2003, Federal Register. Consequent to the rule,
the labels for
nearly all FDA-regulated foods* and some
dietary
supplements**
must be revised. You can access the
final
rule and background/
support information at:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/transfat/
The trans fat rule is the first significant change to
the Nutrition
Facts
panel since the Nutrition Labeling and Education
Act
(NLEA) regulations were finalized in 1993.
Requirements in
the
new rule mean that the Nutrition Facts panel must
now list
trans
fat content along with the 14 other
previously-required
mandatory
nutrients. We hope the reported
"highlights" put
you at ease
with the challenge of meeting the labeling
requirements by the
January 1, 2006, compliance date.
Food Consulting Company is ready to help you now.
Call us
for
a quote on the work you need completed.
* Only food products bearing a "simplified" label
format will
require no change. The simplified format is
allowed on
products that contain insignificant amounts of at
least eight
of the 15 mandatory nutrients, i.e., soft drinks,
hard candy.
**Dietary supplement companies must now list trans fat
on
the Supplement Facts panel when products contain
reportable amounts (0.5g or more) of trans fat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FDA Regulations Require Listing of Trans Fat on
Nutrition Labels
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The FDA Final Rule on trans fatty acids requires the
listing of
trans fat directly under the listing of saturated fat
on the Nutrition
Facts panel even when the food contains no fat and no
saturated
fat. Also in the rules:
-- The rounding rules for trans fat content are the
same as the
rules for rounding saturated fat content.
-- FDA has not established a daily value for trans
fat, and
therefore the % Daily Value column will be blank.
-- The word "trans" *may* be italicized to indicate
its Latin origin.
(This is an exception to the existing rule that
requires the use
of a single easy-to-read type style throughout the
nutrition label.)
Food manufacturers have until January 1, 2006, to list
trans fat on
the
nutrition label. The phase-in period is intended to
minimize the
need for multiple labeling changes, allow
small businesses to
use
current label inventories, and provide economic
savings.
See examples of Nutrition Facts with trans fat listed
at:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/labtr.html
...INTOUCH... Comments: Beginning now, food and
dietary
supple-
ment companies have 29 months to comply with the
trans fat rule.
As companies prepare to revise labels
for
compliance to the new
regulations, labelers will want to consider current label inventories,
plans for formulation
changes,
and package design modifications.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FDA Regulations Define Trans Fatty Acids for Food
Labels
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FDA defines trans fatty acids as "unsaturated fatty
acids that
contain one or more isolated (i.e., nonconjugated)
double
bonds
in a trans configuration." (Under this
definition, conjugated linoleic
acid is excluded as a trans fat.)
...INTOUCH... Explains: Unsaturated fat (both
polyunsaturated
or monounsaturated) can exist in either a "cis" form
or a "trans"
form. The cis form accounts for the overwhelming
majority of
fat in unmodified, natural foods.
The process of hydrogenation modifies a cis fat
(liquid vegetable
oil) and converts it into a more solid trans
fat (partially
hydrogen-
ated or hydrogenated oil). The fat that
results from the hydrogen-
ation process is the main
source of trans fat in the
American diet.
However, it should be noted that small
amounts
of trans fat do
occur naturally in some animal-based
foods such
as meat, butter,
and cheese. The manufactured foods
that are
likely to contain
trans fat are vegetable shortenings,
margarines,
crackers, cookies,
snack foods, and other foods that containpartially or fully hydro-
genated oils.
Each finished product must be analyzed for trans fat
content.
The
final rule allows for laboratory or database
measurement
of trans
fat. FDA only recently established the
laboratory
methodology for
analysis of trans fat. Ingredient
suppliers are
now using the newly-
established methods to get their
products
analyzed and specifica-
tions sheets updated to include
trans
fat data.
...INTOUCH... Comments: Food Consulting Company is
ready
to provide you with both database analysis and
laboratory
analysis to determine the trans fat content of your
products.
To submit orders with trans fat analysis included,
access an
updated Order Form at:
http://www.foodlabels.com/https://safeco.net/foodlabels/orders.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More FDA Regulations for Trans Fat Labeling are Under
Study
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FDA issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking
(ANPRM)
in the July 11, 2003, Federal Register to solicit
information and
data that potentially could be used to
establish:
-- new nutrient content claims about trans fat
-- qualifying criteria for trans fat in current
nutrient content claims
for saturated fat and cholesterol, lean and extra
lean claims, and
health claims that contain a message about
cholesterol raising fats
-- statements about trans fat, either alone or in
combination with
saturated fat and cholesterol, as a footnote in
the Nutrition Facts
panel or as a disclosure statement in
conjunction with claims
Information and data obtained from comments and from
consumer
studies conducted by FDA may be used to help draft a
proposed
rule for further trans fat labeling regulations.
Access ANPRM at:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fr03711b.html
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
FYI: USDA-regulated foods (meat, poultry, and eggs)
are not
currently affected by FDA's final rule for trans fat
labeling. The USDA
Semiannual Regulatory Agenda (published May 27,2003),
which is a
list of regulations and regulatory actions
pending at the time the report
was published, does not
include
any type of action for labeling USDA-
regulated
products with
trans fat information.
© Food Consulting Company, 2003. |