Members of European Parliament (MEPs) have apparently voted in favor of draft legislation that would require listing energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt content on the front of food packages. Doing so, they rejected a traffic light system that sought to further emphasize the levels of salt, sugar and fat in processed foods, and opposed parallel schemes run by national regulators. According to a June 14-17, 2010, plenary session report, MEPs approved mandatory front-of-pack (FOP) nutritional information accompanied by guideline daily amounts “expressed with per 100g or per 100ml values.” They also supported (i) stating the amount of protein, fiber and trans fats “elsewhere on the packaging”; (ii) extending country-of-origin labeling regulations to all meat, poultry, dairy, and other single-ingredient products; (iii) labeling meat slaughtered without stunning; (iv) specifying country of origin for “meat, poultry and fish when used as an ingredient in processed food”; and (v) retaining the…
Tag Archives nutrition
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established a docket to obtain comments and other data related to point-of-purchase nutrition information, including front-of-pack (FOP) labeling and shelf tags. According to an April 29, 2010, press release, FDA wants to learn more about (i) “the extent to which consumers notice, use and understand nutrition symbols” on these types of labels; (ii) “research that assesses and compares the effectiveness of particular approaches to front-of-pack labeling”; (iii) “graphic design, marketing and advertising data and information that can help develop better point-of-purchase information”; and (iv) “how point-of-purchase information may affect decisions by food manufacturers to reformulate their products.” The agency will use this feedback to inform its deliberations about “approaches to enhancing the usefulness to consumers of point-of-purchase nutrition information.” The docket is part of ongoing efforts to reassess FOP regulations under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990. FDA has stated that…
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) held an open session on April 9, 2010, to gather information on front-of-package (FOP) nutrition rating systems and symbols. Speakers included representatives from (i) the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.K. Food Standards Agency, (ii) the American Heart Association, (iii) ConAgra Foods, the General Mills Bell Institute of Health & Nutrition and Unilever, and (iv) Texas A&M University, the University of Maryland, the University of Washington, and the Yale Prevention Research Center. In addition, New York University Professor Marion Nestle addressed concerns about nutrition rating systems and other perspectives on FOP labeling. According to SHB attorney Sarah Sunday, who attended the meeting, FDA provided an update on its continuing assessment of FOP labeling and indicated that after failing to release guidance as scheduled, the agency intends to complete its consumer research in May. But Nestle registered opposition to the adoption of any FOP…
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has announced an April 9, 2010, open workshop to continue its review of front-of-package (FOP) nutrition rating systems and symbols. As tasked by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IOM established a committee to evaluate and report on “the use of symbols, logos, and icons to communicate nutritional information on the front of food labels.” At the forthcoming open session, the committee will gather information on both international and domestic nutrition rating systems and symbols. Scheduled speakers include representatives from (i) the U.K Food Standards Agency (FSA), (ii) the American Heart Association, (iii) ConAgra Foods, the General Mills Bell Institute of Health & Nutrition and Unilever, and (iv) Texas A&M University, the University of Maryland, the University of Washington, and the Yale Prevention Research Center. In addition, New York University Professor Marion Nestle will address concerns about nutrition rating…
Two public health advocates have penned an article in the February 23, 2010, edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that calls for an end to all front-of-package (FOP) food labels. According to New York University Professor Marion Nestle and Children’s Hospital Boston Obesity Program Director David Ludwig, the food industry has historically used loopholes in labeling laws to make tenuous health claims and develop “self endorsement labeling systems” in an effort to sell more products. The authors note that although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “intends to examine the entire issue of front-of-package labeling,” the agency continues to maintain that “point of purchase labeling . . . can be an effective way of promoting informed food choices and helping consumers construct healthier diets.” Nestle and Ludwig, however, remain skeptical that these systems will not be co-opted by food and beverage manufacturers seeking to promote sales.…
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…
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has announced a February 2, 2010, public meeting in Washington, D.C., to solicit government perspectives on front-of-package nutrition labeling systems. The IOM Committee on Examination of Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols has invited input from various government agencies and study sponsors, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Created in response to a congressional mandate, the committee is working on behalf of CDC and FDA to review “the elements of the nutrition rating criteria and science underlying the front-of package systems.” In particular, the group is gathering information on (i) “front-of-package systems being used by manufacturers, supermarkets, health organizations, and governments in the United States and abroad”; (ii) “the purpose and overall merits of front-label nutrition icons”; (iii) “the criteria underlying the systems and . . . their scientific basis”; and (iv)…
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has issued a proposal to improve packaged food nutrition labels. Among other matters, the proposal calls for more emphasis to be placed on calories, added sugars, saturated and trans fats, and sodium. If any of the latter ingredients exceed 20 percent of the recommended daily amount, CSPI calls for it to be listed in red and flagged as “high.” CSPI’s proposed nutrition label would also list ingredients in regular type separated by bullets, instead of in all capital letters, which the organization contends is hard to read. According to CSPI, the proposal, which compares an existing label with its recommended label, “exposes some of the tricks that occur on the front of the label, and unveils makeovers of the Nutrition Facts panel and ingredient lists to last for the next 15 years.” CSPI Executive Director Michael Jacobson was quoted as saying, “Foot…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a notice seeking public comment on a proposed experimental study that would examine consumer reaction to possible modifications in the nutrition facts labeling format. The study results will reportedly help the agency understand whether label modifications “could help consumers to make informed food choices.” FDA intends to randomly select 3,600 people to review nutrition facts labels from a selection of different formats, foods and nutrition information, and then judge their reactions as to the foods’ “nutritional attributes and overall healthfulness” and whether the labels help “calculate calories and estimate serving sizes to meet objectives.” FDA invites comments on (i) whether the information collected “will have practical utility”; (ii) the “validity of the methodology and assumptions used”; (iii) “ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected”; and (iv) “ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information.”…
The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Health Check™ program has reportedly revised its front-of-package (FOP) labeling scheme to better reflect current nutritional guidelines. Similar to the Smart Choices® system recently discontinued in the United States, Health Check allows subscribing manufacturers to use its FOP logo on products that meet specific nutritional requirements. Partly in response to criticism leveled at its U.S. counterpart, the non-profit organization has announced plans to disqualify any cookies, puddings, snack foods, flans, or frozen dairy, soy or tofu desserts from entering the program after December 28, 2009. Health Check has also set new salt, sugar and fat limits for endorsed products, stipulating that trans fat cannot comprise more than 5 percent of the total fat content. In addition, soups in the restaurant program must reduce sodium levels to 480 mg per 250 mL by November 1, 2010. “The Health Check nutrient criteria developed by the Heart…
