JULY 2004
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...INTOUCH... Volume 5/Number 7 -
July 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 4th of July! We join our American INTOUCH
subscribers
in celebrating the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy
in the
United States, and we send greetings to our many
subscribers
around the globe. We feel privileged to serve you
all!
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FDA Food Labels Study is Reported
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Findings from FDA's 12th Food Label and Package Survey
(FLAPS) are reported in the June 2004 Journal of the
American Dietetic Association . The article reports
on the
prevalence of nutrition labels and claims on the
product
packages of the 1,281 foods in the survey:
-- 98.3% of FDA regulated foods contained nutrition
facts labels
-- 4.4% of product labels had health claims
-- 6.2% of product labels had structure/function
claims
-- 49.7% of product labels had nutrient content claims
The article states that a public version of FLAPS will
soon
be available at:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov
...INTOUCH... Comments:
Clients whose packages qualify for FDA-allowed small
business or other exemptions from nutrition facts
labeling
often tell Food Consulting Company that the presence
of
the Nutrition Facts panel on their labels helps their
products
compete with larger, more-established brands. Indeed,
the
FLAPS data show that the industry practice is to
include the
Nutrition Facts voluntarily.
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FDA Revises Botanical Products Guidance for Industry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The June 9, 2004, Federal Register announced that FDA
has
revised a guidance document for industry entitled
"Botanical
Drug Products,'' that was first issued on August 11,
2000.
In addition to drugs, the document covers botanical
products
that are currently lawfully marketed as foods and
dietary
supplements.
Read the Federal Register notice and access the
guidance at:
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/04-13031.htm
...INTOUCH... Comments:
The lines between foods, drugs, and dietary
supplements are
sometimes blurry, particularly for those products that
feature
botanical ingredients. Among the issues covered, the
guidance
provides some clarification about the differences
between the
product types.
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Reminder! New FDA Regulations for Importers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
August 12, 2004, is the date by which all food
importers must
be in compliance with FDA's Bioterrorism Act
regulations.
Importers must:
-- Register food facilities
-- Submit Prior Notice of food entry to the US
Both requirements were effective on December 12, 2003.
However, FDA exercised broad enforcement discretion
during
the transition period to August 12, 2004.
Also of interest, FDA is proposing new regulations for
food
importers who use sampling services and private
laboratories.
Read the proposed rule at:
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/04-9699.htm
...INTOUCH... Comments:
Electronic Registration of Food Facilities and Prior
Notice can
be accomplished at
https://www.access.fda.gov/
. See Food
Facility Registration Module (FFRM) and Prior Notice
System
Interface (PNSI) midway down right column on page.
Please
understand that Food Consulting Company's expertise is
in the
area of food labeling, and that our services do not
extend to food
facility registration.
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FYI: The FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition
(CFSAN) is beginning to develop program priorities for
the
fiscal year 2005 that begins October 1, 2004.
Interested
parties may submit comments to CFSAN. See notice at:
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/04-14303.htm
© Food Consulting Company, 2004. |