FDA to Develop Standard Labeling Practices
New standards are coming for nutritional claims.
Compiled by staff
Published: Oct 22, 2009
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration intends to crack down on food companies that are making assertions on the front of their products that suggest they are healthier than they really are. The crackdown includes plans to create a uniform labeling system by the end of next year. And, within three months, the FDA will propose new standards that manufacturers must meet to make a nutritional claim on the front of a product.
The FDA grew particularly concerned in late August, when a consortium of major foodmakers, including ConAgra Foods, Kellogg's and Unilever, rolled out their Smart Choices Program. The system, designed to help shoppers easily identify smarter food and beverage choices, raised eyebrows when the green check-mark label appeared on Cocoa Krispies, Froot Loops and other foods that are not typically noted for their nutritional value.
"We have a completely chaotic system, in which food companies have set up their own nutritional criteria for evaluating products and then apply it," said Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University. "And then - guess what? - lots of their products qualify."
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