FDA Reopens Comment Period on Draft Evaporated Cane Juice Guidance
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reopened the comment period on its draft industry guidance titled “Ingredients Declared as Evaporated Cane Juice” on food labels. First published for comments in October 2009, the draft guidance advises industry of “FDA’s view that the common or usual name for the solid or dried form of sugar cane syrup is ‘dried cane syrup,’ and that sweeteners derived from sugar cane syrup should not be declared on food labels as ‘evaporated cane juice’ because that term falsely suggests the sweeteners are juice,” and they are not “juice” as defined in federal regulations, 21 C.F.R. 120.1(a).
FDA seeks “additional data and information to better understand the basic nature and characterizing properties of the ingredient, the methods of producing it, and the differences between this ingredient and other sweeteners.” Among the specific questions the agency has raised are (i) “How is ‘evaporated cane juice’ manufactured?”; (ii) “Is there a uniform industry standard for this ingredient as traded in the marketplace?”; (iii) “Does the name ‘evaporated cane juice’ adequately convey the basic nature of the food and its characterizing properties with the principles in § 102.5(a)?”; and (iv) “Applying the principles for common or usual names in § 102.5, in what way does ‘dried cane syrup’ fail to identify or describe this ingredient’s basic nature or characterizing properties or ingredients?” Comments are requested by May 5, 2014. See Federal Register, March 5, 2014.
