zakur
12th July 2003, 01:00 PM
FDA Eases Rules On Touting Food As Healthful (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41005-2003Jul10.html)
Food producers will be given far more leeway to make claims about the health benefits of their products, the government said yesterday as it announced a far-reaching policy shift presented as giving shoppers information they can use to make smarter choices at the supermarket.
Under the plan, companies will be allowed to petition the Food and Drug Administration for approval to make health claims based on a wide range of evidence. Currently, the agency allows only health claims shown to be conclusively researched and that have achieved scientific consensus, a difficult standard to meet.
Critics in Congress and from some consumer groups charged that the plan, which will also apply to dietary supplements, violates the law and would open the door to confusing and dubious claims supported by weak or inconclusive scientific evidence.
[...]
Under the 1990 law, health claims are allowed only if there is "significant scientific agreement" -- such as statements that calcium prevents osteoporosis or that a diet low in fat and cholesterol can reduce the risk of heart disease.
The issue became clouded when courts ruled that dietary supplement makers could make claims based on scientific research that is not conclusive. McClellan said health claims for foods will now be treated on the same basis as those for supplements.
Food producers will be given far more leeway to make claims about the health benefits of their products, the government said yesterday as it announced a far-reaching policy shift presented as giving shoppers information they can use to make smarter choices at the supermarket.
Under the plan, companies will be allowed to petition the Food and Drug Administration for approval to make health claims based on a wide range of evidence. Currently, the agency allows only health claims shown to be conclusively researched and that have achieved scientific consensus, a difficult standard to meet.
Critics in Congress and from some consumer groups charged that the plan, which will also apply to dietary supplements, violates the law and would open the door to confusing and dubious claims supported by weak or inconclusive scientific evidence.
[...]
Under the 1990 law, health claims are allowed only if there is "significant scientific agreement" -- such as statements that calcium prevents osteoporosis or that a diet low in fat and cholesterol can reduce the risk of heart disease.
The issue became clouded when courts ruled that dietary supplement makers could make claims based on scientific research that is not conclusive. McClellan said health claims for foods will now be treated on the same basis as those for supplements.