MARCH 2002
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...INTOUCH...
Monthly Updates on Government Action Affecting Food Labels
March 1, 2002
Brought to you by The Food Consulting Company
Your source for food label help
http://www.foodlabels.com
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CFSAN Priorities Include Food and Dietary Supplement
Labeling
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On February 4, 2002, the Center for Food Safety and
Applied
Nutrition (CFSAN) released program priorities for the
current
fiscal year, October 1, 2001 to September 30, 2002.
Several
food and dietary supplement labeling issues are
categorized
with the highest priority ranking. The entire
priorities document
can be read at:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cfsa102b.html.
Items in the document are ranked as "A", "B*", "B".
The Center
plans to complete fully at least 90% of the "A" items
by the end
of the fiscal year. "B*" are the highest-level "B"
items and are
candidates for the "A" list in the fiscal year
beginning Oct. 1,
2002. The Center plans to make progress on "B" items
but
these may not be completed by the end of the fiscal
year.
The full priority list is long. The following
selected priorities are
of greatest concern to The Food Consulting Company
clients.
*** Selected Food Labeling Priorities ***
2.1.3 c. Develop a strategy for ensuring that dietary
supple-
ment ingredients, when added to
conventional foods,
are lawful. Priority Level A
2.2.5 a. Continue to conduct enforcement activities
to clarify
boundaries between conventional foods
and other
product categories. Priority Level A
2.2.3 b. Develop a final rule for trans fatty acid
labeling.
Priority Level B*
2.2.1 c. Publish a final rule for stanol/sterol
esters health claim.
Priority Level B*
2.2.4 d. Develop a final rule providing for more
flexibility in the
use of health/nutrient content claims
in response to
citizen's petition. Priority Level B
2.2.4 c. Develop proposed rule for nutrient content
claims that
are the subject of health claims.
Priority Level B
*** Selected Dietary Supplement Priorities ***
2.3.4 b. Publish update for common or usual botanical
names
used in dietary supplement labeling as
provided for in
current rule. Priority Level A
2.3.5 a. Continue to identify dietary supplement
ingredients /
products that raise safety problems,
and take appro-
priate enforcement actions. Priority
Level A
2.3.4 c. Develop "Dietary Supplement Labeling Guide"
for
Industry. Priority Level B
2.3.4 f. Develop final rule on "per day" labeling for
dietary sup-
plements. Priority Level B
*** Selected Allergen Labeling Priorities ***
1.11.1 Continue consumer and industry outreach and
awareness
to the presence of allergens in food.
Priority Level A
1.11.2 Develop and implement an allergen enforcement
strategy
for cross-contamination. Priority Level A
1.11.4 Submit a report to Congress on FDA's plans to
promulgate
regulations to prevent cross-contamination
of foods by
undeclared allergens. Priority Level A
1.11.7 Develop a strategy to improve the labeling of
the most
common allergens to include responding to
the "Nine
States Attorneys General" petition.
Priority Level B*
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FYI TIP: The CFSAN priority list makes no mention of
revising
Daily Values (DVs) for Nutrition Facts based on
Dietary
Reference Intakes (DRI) reports. A review of the
National Academy
of Sciences (source of DRI values) web site indicates
that the
work on DRI reports is not complete. FDA has stated
that they
will not make a change in DVs until all DRI reports
are published.
INTOUCH will report on developments as they are
available.
© Food Consulting Company, 2002. |