JANUARY 2002
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
...INTOUCH...
Monthly Updates on Government Action Affecting Food Labels
January 4, 2002
Brought to you by The Food Consulting Company
Your source for food label help
http://www.foodlabels.com
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
Happy New Year!
INTOUCH leads you to food labeling news you can use.
Read
this issue and all back issues at
http://www.foodlabels.com.
NOW THE NEWS!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Final Rules for Canada Food Label Expected This
Spring
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Proposed Canadian nutrition labeling regulations were
printed
in Canada Gazette, Part I, on June 16, 2001. Comments
were
due by September 4, 2001, and are now under
consideration.
The final step will be to turn the proposals into law
through
publication of the regulations in Canada Gazette, Part
II.
INTOUCH learned from a Health Canada spokesperson
that
a definite date for publication has not been announced
but is
expected in Spring 2002.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FDA Maintains that Internet Info Might Be Food
Labeling
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Responding to a petition asking FDA to formally adopt
a rule
stating that information presented or available on a
company's
Internet websites does not constitute labeling, FDA
states "the
agency sees no reason to treat Internet information of
food
companies differently from Internet information of
other FDA-
regulated industries." FDA further states "the agency
will
proceed on a case-by-case basis in determining what is
'labeling'." Read entire response with FDA's legal
rationale
for regulating food company Internet sites:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~acrobat/labwww.pdf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FTC Warns that Fraudulent Website Claims Must
Stop
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After an Internet "surf" found dietary supplement
companies and
other companies claiming products prevent, treat, or
cure
anthrax, smallpox, and other health hazards related to
threats of
terrorism, the FTC sent e-mail messages telling
operators, "We
are aware of no scientific basis for such claims.
Without
competent and reliable scientific evidence to
substantiate these
claims, the claims are illegal under the Federal Trade
Com-
mission Act and must be discontinued immediately."
Read
warning letter:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2001/11/webwarnltr.htm.
Read news release:
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2001/11/webwarn.htm
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
FYI TIP: Producers of organic foods can stay abreast
of
domestic and foreign government action affecting
export
and import of these foods with the USDA Foreign
Agricul-
ture Service Organic Perspectives Newsletter at:
http://www.fas.usda.gov/htp/organics/organics.html.
The newsletter reports on many organic foods issues
including US labeling and claim standards.
© Food Consulting Company, 2002. |