Health Claims and Foods

January 15, 2009 Outgoing Bush Administration Issues Last-Minute Reg on Iffy Health Claims on Foods (CSPINET)

The nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest objected today to a “midnight” attempt by the outgoing Bush Administration to institutionalize a Food and Drug Administration practice permitting so-called “qualified health claims” on food labels. Such claims can be based on flimsy scientific evidence. The FDA first began permitting them on food labels in 2002. Prior to the Bush years, such claims were only allowed on dietary supplements. An example of these claims would be,”Very limited and preliminary scientific research suggests that eating one-half to one cup of tomatoes and/or tomato sauce a week may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. FDA requires that the claim be followed by the statement, “The FDA concludes that there is little scientific evidence supporting this claim.”

Congress urged the FDA in last years appropriations bill to end the labeling policy for foods until a report from the Government Accountability Office on the issue was completed.

“Fortunately, the FDA action today is in the form of a ‘Guidance’ document that can, and should be immediately rescinded by the next FDA Commissioner,” stated Bruce Silverglade. “FDA’s own surveys show that consumers are misled by qualified health claims.”

FEDERAL REGISTER–Health Claims

January 16, 2009 – Notices – Final Guidances– Docket No. FDA-2007-D-0371, CFSAN 200846.  Guidance for Industry: Evidence-Based Review System for the Scientific Evaluation of Health Claims.  Pages  3059-3060 [FR Doc. E9-957]  [TXT] [PDF] [PRE-PUB]

The Guidance

[Federal Register: January 16, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 11)]
[Notices]              
[Page 3059-3060]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16ja09-105]                        

———————————————————————–

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2007-D-0371 (formerly Docket No. 2007D-0125)]

Guidance for Industry: Evidence-Based Review System for the
Scientific Evaluation of Health Claims

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance document entitled “Guidance for Industry: Evidence-Based Review System for the Scientific Evaluation of Health Claims.” This guidance outlines the agency’s approach to the review of the scientific evidence for health claims that meet the significant
scientific agreement standard (SSA) and qualified health claims.
Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is announcing the withdrawal of the guidance documents entitled “Guidance for Industry and FDA: Interim Evidence-Based Ranking System for Scientific Data” and “Guidance for Industry: Significant Scientific Agreement in the Review of Health Claims for Conventional Foods and Dietary
Supplements.”

Federal Register–Health Claims Guidance Withdrawn

January 16, 2009 – Notices -Docket No. FDA-1999-D-0170, CFSAN 20092.  Guidance for Industry: Significant Scientific Agreement in the Review of Health Claims for Conventional Foods and Dietary Supplements; Withdrawal of Guidance.  Page  3060 [FR Doc. E9-964]  [TXT] [PDF] [PRE-PUB] Effective date January 16, 2009

[Federal Register: January 16, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 11)]
[Notices]              
[Page 3060]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16ja09-106]                        

———————————————————————–

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-1999-D-0170] (formerly Docket No. 1999D-5424)

Guidance for Industry: Significant Scientific Agreement in the
Review of Health Claims for Conventional Foods and Dietary Supplements;
Withdrawal of Guidance

AGENCY:  Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION:  Notice; withdrawal.

———————————————————————–

SUMMARY:  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the
withdrawal of a guidance entitled “Guidance for Industry: Significant
Scientific Agreement in the Review of Health Claims for Conventional
Foods and Dietary Supplements,” that was issued December 1999.

DATES: The withdrawal is effective January 16, 2009.

UK-Nutrition and Health claims–Foods

Nutrition claims and Health claims made on Foods – Changes to the CAP Code and launch of the BCAP Consultation

19 January 2009

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), the body responsible for writing and enforcing the non-broadcast advertising code (CAP Code), today publishes changes to the Code to bring it into line with New European legislation on nutrition and health claims made on foods (the NHCR). This is the first piece of specific legislation to deal with nutrition and health claims made on foods and seeks to protect consumers from misleading or false claims. Because the changes reflect the law, they become enforceable immediately.    http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/news/news/2008/Nutrition+and+Health+Claims+Regulation.htm

Foods and Beverages with Functional Beauty Benefits

Drinking (and eating) to beauty
More popular abroad, foods and beverages with functional beauty benefits are making their appearance in the United States

(Foodbusinessnews.net, January 06, 2009)
by Allison Sebolt

---

The quest to find the fountain of youth drove explorers to the Americas, but in today’s world may a tea provide increased energy, stimulate healthy metabolism and restore gray hair to natural color?   http://foodbusinessnews.net/Feature_stories.asp?ArticleID=99001

 

Rebaudioside A

Exclusive Global Strategic Collaboration with Firmenich on All-Natural Zero-Calorie Sweetener for Food & Bevearge Market

PureCircle (LSE:PURE), the world’s leading developer, producer and marketer of high-purity Rebaudioside A (Reb A), the first all-natural zero calorie sweetener, announces today an exclusive global strategic collaboration with Firmenich, the world’s largest privately-owned fragrance and flavour company, to accelerate the commercialisation of Reb-A in the global food and beverage industry.

PureCircle, is the world’s largest supplier of high-purity Reb A which can be used as a key ingredient in mainstream food and beverages.

In December 2008, PureCircle announced that the United States Food & Drug Administration (“FDA”) had issued a no objection letter with respect to high-purity Reb A, formally giving high-purity Reb A Generally Recognised As Safe (“GRAS”) status for use in beverages, foods and tabletop sweeteners, either as a complement to sugar or as a healthy substitute for synthetic sweeteners. The FDA’s response effectively opened the United States, the world’s largest market, for high-purity Reb A to be adopted as a key ingredient in mainstream food and beverage production and across entire product ranges. Food and drink manufacturers in the United States are already using high-purity Reb A as a sweetener ingredient.

Firmenich has developed innovative flavour systems for Reb A, which will be rolled out across food and beverage applications. Under the terms of the collaboration, Firmenich and PureCircle will combine to offer natural flavour and sweetening solutions to category leaders in the global food and beverage market.

Commenting on the collaboration, Magomet Malsagov, Chief Executive Officer of PureCircle, said:

“Health and wellness is at the top of our customers’ innovation agenda as they increasingly respond to consumer demand for healthier food and beverage products. The all-natural and calorie-free sweetener, Reb A, is seen as providing that solution.

“Combining Firmenich’s world class flavour ability and global reach, with the ground-breaking low calorie natural sweetening that Reb A provides, is a major event in the food and beverage industry. Calorie reduction is a major development platform in all key application areas.”

Patrick Firmenich, CEO of Firmenich, added:

“Reducing sugar in food and beverage products, while maintaining consumer preference, is one of the biggest challenges in our business today. By combining PureCircle’s know-how in Reb A with Firmenich’s expertise in sweetness enhancement and flavour masking, I believe that we can fulfil consumer desires for great tasting, low sugar, low calorie foods and beverages.”

Organic Beauty and Food Products–Shopping Trends

U.S. shoppers slow to embrace organic beauty, food products, study says

By Antoinette Alexander

SHELTON, Conn. (Jan. 5) Despite the buzz surrounding organic beauty and food items, these items have not yet gained mainstream acceptance by U.S. consumers, according to a recently released study by TABS Group.

“There is a significant gap between the hype and reality of consumer purchase behavior with regard to organic products,” said Kurt Jetta, president and founder of the marketing research and consulting firm. “Less than 40% of adults claim to have purchased anything from the major organic categories in the last six months.”

According to the study, organic beauty care products were found to have low mainstream acceptance with stated purchase for organic skin care at 5% and organic hair care and cosmetics at 4% and 3%, respectively.

Organic fresh fruit had the highest purchase incidence at 27%, with organic fresh vegetables close behind at 26%. Organic dairy products, eggs and milk were cited for purchase by 18% and 17% of U.S. adults, respectively. Frozen organic products like vegetables, fruit and ice cream, had low purchase levels at 5% to 6%.

By contrast, non-organic products for all of the above categories had household penetration levels of well above 70%, according to TABS Group.

“The findings are consistent with trends we have been tracking in retailer sales data,” Jetta said. “Very few of these products have meaningful sales levels in traditional mass market retailers, even the ones that are very strong in the natural food and specialty channels.”