[net-gold] FOOD DRINK NUTRITION DIET: NUTRITION : FOOD DRINK NUTRITION DIET: FOOD PRODUCT LABELING: CSPI Urges FDA Crackdown on False and Misleading Food Labeling
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Subject: FOOD DRINK NUTRITION DIET: NUTRITION : FOOD DRINK NUTRITION DIET: FOOD
PRODUCT LABELING: CSPI Urges FDA Crackdown on False and Misleading Food
Labeling
.
FOOD DRINK NUTRITION DIET: NUTRITION :
FOOD DRINK NUTRITION DIET FOOD PRODUCT LABELING
CSPI Urges FDA Crackdown on False and Misleading Food Labeling
CSPI Urges FDA Crackdown on False and Misleading Food Labeling
New Report Makes Case for Ending Food Labeling Chaos
CSPI Newsroom
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
<http://www.cspinet.org/new/200912291.html>
WASHINGTON-Can orange juice really help prevent or treat arthritis? That's the
implication on the label of a Minute Maid orange juice fortified with
glucosamine hydrochloride "designed to help protect healthy joints." And it's
exactly the kind of misleading health claim that the Center for Science in the
Public Interest wants the federal government to stop. Today the group is
sending the Food and Drug Administration a 158-page report that documents some
of the most egregious examples of false claims, ingredient obfuscations, and
other labeling shenanigans.
Though under the Obama Administration the FDA is sending more warning letters
to food manufacturers about misleading labeling, many major companies,
including Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Kraft, General Mills, and Nestl continue to
confuse or defraud consumers about the health effects, ingredients, or
"natural"-ness of their products. Some notable offenders include:
Kellogg: On labels for Smart Start Strawberry Oat Bites cereal, the company
deliberately misreads a report from the Institute of Medicine to claim,
falsely, that consumers can eat 125 grams-more than half a cup-of added sugars
per day. CSPI says FDA should establish a Daily Value for added sugars, require
its disclosure on Nutrition Facts panels, and provide definitions for terms
such as "low sugar."
Nestl Labels for the company's Carnation Instant Breakfast misleadingly claim
that its antioxidants "help support the immune system." While it is true that
serious deficiencies in vitamins A, C, and E and other antioxidants can lead to
serious health problems, consuming this or other products that make this common
claim won't help ward off colds, the flu, or other maladies.
Kashi: A Kellogg-owned brand, Kashi falsely claims that the green tea in its
Heart to Heart Instant Oatmeal will "support healthy arteries." The FDA does
have a so-called qualified health claim for green tea that relates to cancer
but has not agreed that green tea can protect arteries or fend off heart
disease.
<snip>
In May, the FDA instructed General Mills to drop exaggerated heart disease and
cancer claims on labels and its web site for its Cheerios cereal. And in
October, FDA expressed concern over the industry-wide Smart Choices
front-of-packaging labeling program. Both moves were praised by CSPI and were
seen as a sign that the agency will more aggressively police food labeling.
CSPI wants the agency to prohibit qualified health claims for foods. Unlike
"health claims," which must meet a "significant scientific agreement" standard,
qualified health claims include disclaimers explaining that the scientific
evidence is uncertain. CSPI also wants the FDA and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture to prohibit misleading "structure/function" claims that a given
food will "support" or "maintain" healthy immune systems, joints, vision, and
so on. Consumers simply can't distinguish between stringently regulated health
claims, which require FDA approval, and structure/function claims, which don't,
according to CSPI.
"Consumers need honest labeling so they can spend their food dollars wisely and
avoid diet-related disease," said CSPI senior staff attorney Ilene Ringel
Heller, co-author of the report. "Companies should market their foods without
resorting to the deceit and dishonesty that's so common today. And, if they
don't, the FDA should make them."
--------------------------------------------------------
The complete article may be read at the URL above.
PRE-PUBLICATION COPY
Food Labeling Chaos: The case for reform
This report was written by Bruce Silverglade, Director of Legal Affairs, and
Ilene Ringel Heller, Senior Staff Attorney, at the Center for Science in the
Public Interest. The authors would especially like to thank Dr. Michael
Jacobson for his counsel and thoughtful review; Bonnie Liebman and David
Schardt for their input; Hayley Reynolds for her excellent research assistance
and support; and Debra Brink for design and formatting.
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest
1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW, #300
Washington, DC 20009
Tel: 202-332-9110 Fax: 202-265-4954
Email: cspi@xxxxxxxxxxx Internet: www.cspinet.org
<http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/food_labeling_chaos_report.pdf>
Contents
Acknowledgements
Executive Summary
I.
Introduction
II.
Improving the Nutrition Facts Panel
III.
Standardizing Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling
IV.
Making Ingredient Labels Easier to Read
V.
Disclosing Caffeine Content
VI.
Stopping Misleading Structure/Function Claims
VII.
Prohibiting Qualified Health Claims for Foods
VIII.
Halting Misleading "0" Trans Fat Claims
IX.
Stopping Misleading Ingredient Claims
X.
Controlling Misleading Natural Claims
XI.
Compilation of Recommendations
Executive Summary
The provision of accurate, easy-to-read, and scientifically valid nutrition and
health information on food labels is an essential component of a comprehensive
public health strategy to help consumers improve their diets and reduce their
risk of diet-related diseases.
However, as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Margaret
Hamburg recognized in a 2009 speech to the National Food Policy Conference,
"[T]he public health importance of food labeling as an essential means for
informing consumers about proper nutrition . . . has not been substantially
addressed since the FDA implemented the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act,
more than 16 years ago."
FDA Commissioner Hamburg also noted, "[W]e've seen the emergence of claims that
may not provide the full picture of their products' true nutritional value. It
will be important to reestablish a science-based approach to protect the
public. . . . " Indeed, misleading claims, ranging from promises that a food
can "strengthen" your immune system to misleading pictures on the fronts of
food labels that misrepresent the type and quantity of fruits and vegetables in
a processed food, are out of control and interfere with the consumer's ability
to make healthy food choices.
Summary of Recommendations
Problems with food labels can be broken down into three basic categories:
o
Improving the Nutrition Facts Panel
o
Improving ingredient labels
o
Stopping false and misleading health-related claims
The FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have recently
begun addressing some of those challenges. The FDA has announced it will test
consumer reactions to simplified nutrition labels that could be used on the
fronts of packages, pressured General Mills to drop exaggerated health claims
for Cheerios cereal and stopped the use of industry's Smart Choices program.
The USDA has re-proposed rules requiring nutrition labeling on fresh meat and
poultry and published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in an effort to
stop misleading "All Natural" claims on meat and poultry labels. But much more
work needs to be done.
Summary of Recommendations
1. Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling - Key nutrition information should be
summarized, using easy-to-comprehend symbols, on the fronts of food packages.
2. Improving the Nutrition Facts Panel - The existing nutrition label needs to
be simplified by:
o
Deleting extraneous information;
o
Providing clearer, more accurate information on calorie, sugars, and fiber
content;
o
Changing disclosures for "Amount Per Serving," and "Serving Size" to statements
like "Amount Per Cup Serving."
o
Prohibiting deceptive nutrition disclosures for large single-serving packages;
o
Making nutrition labeling mandatory for single-ingredient meat and poultry
products.
3. Ingredient Labels - The format of ingredient labels should be modernized by:
o
Redesigning the ingredient list so that ingredient information is presented in
a format similar to that used for nutrition information;
o
Requiring that sources of added sugars be grouped together to give a better
indication of total sugar content;
o
Requiring that the amounts of key ingredients be disclosed as percentages of
the total weight of the product;
o
Mandating that caffeine content be disclosed in a conspicuous location on the
information panel.
The following side-by-side comparison illustrates some of the changes that need
to be made to the Nutrition Facts Panel and the ingredient list.
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
jwne@xxxxxxxxxx
<http://daviddillard.businesscard2.com>
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