IOM Holds Meeting on Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols

The Committee on Examination of Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols of the Institute of Medicine held a meeting on February 2, 2010. The committee was established at the request of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to undertake a review of front-of-package (FoP) nutrition rating systems and symbols. The purpose of the meeting was to gather information that might help the committee conduct its study. Among those appearing during the meeting were representatives of the FDA, CDC and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

FDA staff indicated that in March 2010 the agency plans to issue a proposed rule that will define the scope of what constitutes a “dietary guidance statement” and provide criteria for the use of these statements. A 90-day comment period will follow its publication in the Federal Register. FDA will also be issuing two guidance documents, one of which will recommend upper limits for certain nutrients that a food should not exceed if it bears a dietary guidance statement and one that will provide draft recommendations on displaying nutrient information on FoP statements.

During the meeting, FDA acknowledged that, in addition to providing consumers with easily accessible nutrition information, the agency views the development of an FoP scheme as a means to encourage product reformulation. This second objective appears to reflect the more proactive approach the Obama administration has taken on food policy, that is, establishing policy to pressure food processors rather than letting market forces and consumer preferences dictate production.