DeLauro Urges FDA To Probe Whether Smart Choices Really Are
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Rep. Rosa DeLauro is pushing FDA to investigate whether the food industry's Smart Choices voluntary front-of-package nutrition labeling program allows companies to misrepresent unhealthy food choices as healthy
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FDA plans front-of-package labeling regs
Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announces plans to impose a regulation for nutritional criteria for front-of-package labeling. In light of concerns about industry-sponsored Smart Choices and similar programs, Hamburg said FDA will examine existing FOP and shelf labels for foods to ensure they are not false or misleading under existing law (1"The Tan Sheet" Sept. 28, 2009). During an Oct. 20 media call, Hamburg said nutritionists question whether industry's FOP labels are "more marketing information than nutrition information. Judging from some of the labels we have seen, we think this a valid concern." She cited the system adopted in the U.K., in which the government set labeling standards and retailers used them to implement a system. FDA expects to "see significant progress toward our goal" of publishing the regulation by the end of 2010, the commissioner added
Connecticut's Blumenthal questions Smart Choices
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal follows other government officials in raising concern about the food industry's Smart Choices, a voluntary nutrition labeling program. Blumenthal wrote letters to food firms that participate in the program, such as Kellogg Co. and General Mills, expressing his concern and requesting information on the development of the program. Executives from the Smart Choices program say they will work with Blumenthal, according to media reports. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., wrote a letter to FDA in September, asking the agency to investigate whether Smart Choices allows firms to misrepresent unhealthy food as healthy (1"The Tan Sheet" Sept. 28, 2009). FDA and the Department of Agriculture are also inquiring about the program
Food Industry Hungry For Voluntary Use Of Nutrition Symbols Standard
Food manufacturers and other industry stakeholders support establishing a standard but voluntary labeling system that uses symbols to indicate the nutrition content of their products, industry representatives said during a public hearing sponsored by FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Sept. 10-11