Showing posts with label Trans fat. Show all posts

Monday, 3 March 2014

HEALTH ALERT: FDA PROPOSES SWEEPING OVERHAUL OF NUTRITION FACTS LABEL

FDA PROPOSES SWEEPING OVERHAUL OF NUTRITION FACTS LABEL

Published in Food Product Design February 27, 2014By Josh Long

Posted in News, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Regulatory, Labeling, Label Claims, Healthy, Diet,Healthy Foods, Fat Reduction, Obesity, Heart Health, Diabetes, Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), Calorie, Sweeteners, Carbohydrates, Nutrition, Vitamins / Minerals, Salt, Sodium, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Business, Economics, Costs, Financial Reports, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Packaging, Sugar, Sucrose, Vitamin D,Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Fiber, Trans Fats, Saturated Fats

The proposed label would more accurately represent what Americans are actually eating (i.e. bigger portion sizes) and highlight such parts of the label as calories, serving sizes and Percent Daily Value, crucial factors in addressing public health ailments like obesity and heart disease, FDA announced.
Michael Taylor, FDA's deputy commissioner for foods, told journalists the proposal is estimated to cost industry $2 billion, although he said the regulations are projected to yield $20 billion to $30 billion in economic benefits.

During an event this morning at the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama joined Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to unveil the proposal.

“Our guiding principle here is very simple: that you as a parent and a consumer should be able to walk into your local grocery store, pick up an item off the shelf, and be able to tell whether it’s good for your family," said the First Lady, who has been spearheading a
"Let's Move!" initiative to fight obesity and promote healthier choices for children. “So this is a big deal, and it’s going to make a big difference for families all across this country."

FDA estimated the sweeping proposal would impact roughly 60,000 manufacturers and more than 700,000 Universal Product Codes, representing approximately $236.78 billion in sales in grocery stores, drug stores and mass merchandise stores.

"I think there is broad support for this process and the approach we are taking," Taylor said in a conference call today with the media.

“We look forward to working with the FDA and other stakeholders as these proposed updates to the Nutrition Facts label make their way through the rule making process," said Pamela Bailey, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), in a statement. “It is critical that any changes are based on the most current and reliable science. Equally as important is ensuring that any changes ultimately serve to inform, and not confuse, consumers."

A side-by-side comparison of the current label and the proposed one emphasizes that calories and servings per container would be displayed more prominently through larger fonts.
FDA expressed hope that the revamped label would encourage food manufacturers to introduce healthier foods in a country suffering from a voracious appetite that has led to an obesity epidemic. Taylor cited a significant reduction in trans fat in foods after the substance was added to the
Nutrition Facts label in 2006.

But the changes, even if finalized, will not take effect for at least two years, pointed out Justin Prochnow, a Denver-based food lawyer with Greenberg Traurig LLP.

Critics of the current facts label, which was created in 1993, have pointed out that some information is unnecessary, hard to read and difficult to understand.

Hamburg, M.D., declared the changes would catapult the Nutrition Facts label "fully into the 21st century."
"A lot has changed in the past 20 years. Much more is known about food consumption and nutrition, the health of our population and the dietary choices that can help keep us healthy or make us vulnerable to an array of chronic diseases," Hamburg wrote in a blog. "The changes that we’re proposing reflect that knowledge, based on an extensive examination of the latest public health trends and research on nutrition and disease, including obesity."

For certain foods that contain more than one serving size but can be gobbled in one or multiple sessions, the labels would need to disclose calorie and nutrition information for the entire package as well as per serving. The sweeping proposal would update reference amounts, which manufacturers use to determine serving sizes, in order to reflect the quantities of food that are currently consumed.
"The new changes are based on science, and they take people's actual eating behavior into account," Glenna McCollum, registered dietitian nutritionist and president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said in a statement. "Serving sizes for many products have been updated to realistically reflect the amounts people actually eat at one sitting, nutrient comparisons between 'per serving' and 'per container' are available, and a new requirement will tell consumers how much sugar is being added to a product."

FDA said its proposal requiring information about added sugars is based on recommendations from experts that Americans should lower their calorie intake from such food. Food companies would still have to list "Total Fat", "Saturated Fat" and "Trans Fat" on the label. But FDA said "Calories from Fat" would be taken off the Nutrition Facts label "because research shows the type of fat is more important than the amount."

FDA also has proposed requiring the declaration of potassium and vitamin D on the label, if applicable, in an effort to aid Americans who may be at risk for chronic disease due to low consumption of these vitamins. Calcium and iron would still be required on the label, if applicable, but FDA has proposed listing vitamins A and C as a voluntary labeling measure. Another proposal would revise daily values for such nutrients as calcium, dietary fiber and vitamin D.

FDA also said it is proposing corresponding updates to the Supplement Facts label on dietary supplements, including suggested changes to Daily Values and the units of measure.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), an advocacy organization focused on nutrition, largely hailed FDA's proposed changes, although it recommended adding a Daily Value for added sugars and lowering the Daily Value for sodium to 1,500 milligrams.

"While the FDA is off to a strong start, the agency must do more to ensure that these labels communicate better advice on sugar and salt," CSPI Executive Director Michael F. Jacobson said in a statement.
The proposed changes, reflecting new dietary recommendations, consensus reports and national survey data, would affect all packaged foods other than certain meat, poultry and processed egg products that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates through its Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

FDA's proposal is not the government's only initiative to revise food labels. In 2011, the agency issued proposed regulations to establish labeling requirements for restaurants, similar retail food establishments and vending machines. Some critics have bashed the proposed regulations, including the Food Marketing Institute, which has said grocery stores would be burdened with more than $1 billion in costs during the first year of implementation.

FDA said an increasing number of consumers are actually reading the Nutrition Facts label. According to surveys the agency conducted, the percentage of respondents reporting that they "often" read a food label when they purchase a food climbed from 44% in 2002 to 54% in 2008.

Taylor told reporters that more than half of adults use the Nutrition Facts label.

But it may have become somewhat antiquated over the years. According to food and beverage market research from the NPD Group, consumers read food labels when they first appeared but stopped doing so as time wore on. The market research firm attributed the decline to the fact that consumers became educated on the ingredients in their food, such as their favorite cereal.

“If the Nutrition Facts label is to continue to educate, it should allow for changes more often than once every 20 years," said Harry Balzer, NPD chief industry analyst and author of "Eating Patterns in America", in a statement. "For example, gluten, probiotics and omega-3s were not on the radar screen 20 years ago."

Thanks for taking the time

Monday, 9 December 2013

HEALTH ALERT: FDA Moves To Ban Trans Fat

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tentatively determined that partially hydrogenated oils, which are the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in the American diet, are not generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use in food based on current scientific evidence establishing the health risks associated with the consumption of trans fat. If the determination is finalized, partially hydrogenated oils would be considered food additives and could not be used in food without prior FDA approval.

To hear more on this topic, view "The Future of Trans Fat," filmed during SupplySide West, Nov. 12-16

Trans fat is dangerous

Here is a great summary article By Amanda MacMillan

Trans fat can make food taste good, last longer on grocery-store shelves, and more hazardous for your heart.

"Trans fats raise your bad cholesterol just like saturated fats, but they also increase inflammation and lower the good cholesterol that protects us against heart disease," says Andrea Giancoli, RD, MPH, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, in Hermosa Beach, Calif.

The good news? Many food manufacturers and fast-food chains have removed or reduced trans fat. But it still lurks in many foods—here are 22 to watch.

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Thanks for taking the time

Thursday, 23 May 2013

HEALTH ALERT: RESEARCHERS FIND FOOD MANUFACTURERS CUT TRANS FAT CONTENT

RESEARCHERS FIND FOOD MANUFACTURERS CUT TRANS FAT CONTENT

Published May 23, 2013 in Food Product Design

WASHINGTON—Food manufacturers have substantially decreased the amount of trans fat in their products, researchers have found.

But scientists cite a lack of progress in more recent times, arguing that further cuts should be made in the fight against heart disease.

Still, the news is mostly heartening to nutrition advocates.

In 2007, researchers identified 360 brand-name products that contained at least half a gram of trans fat or more per serving. By 2011, the researchers found, two thirds of the products remaining on the market had cut their trans fat content. In most instances, trans fat—otherwise known as partially hydrogenated oil—was lowered to less than half a gram per serving.

The findings were published Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal, Preventing Chronic Disease, by scientists at Harvard and the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Among the 270 products studied, most of the progress occurred between 2007 and 2008, when the average trans fat content decreased by 30%. Between 2010 and 2011, the amount of trans fat was only reduced by 3.4%.

"Industrially produced trans fats are powerful promoters of heart disease, so it is welcome news that food manufacturers are using less," senior author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian of Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School said in a statement. “But, we found that reformulations to reduce trans fat significantly slowed over time, and we also found large variations in reformulations among different food categories and companies."

Doughnuts, crackers and pies represented the largest gram-per-serving reductions in trans fat. On the other end of the spectrum, rolls, margarines and microwave popcorns reduced their trans fat content by the smallest percentages.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should get some credit for the reduction in trans fat. Seven years ago, the agency required that Nutrition Facts Labels include a listing of the substance, prompting food manufacturers to make changes, according to researchers.

“Products that contain less than half a gram of trans fat per serving may list zero grams on Nutrition Facts labels. But even those can contribute harmful levels of trans fat," Dr. Fadar Otite, a researcher at Harvard School of Public Health and co-author of the study, said in a statement. "That’s particularly true for something like microwave popcorn, where one might well consume several servings at once."

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Written by Bruce MacDonald, a 30 year veteran of the Agri-food industry, in "Social Media Marketing in Agri-Foods: Endless Profit and Painless Gain", Bruce applies his background and expertise in Agri-foods and social media to the latest trends, tools and methodologies needed to craft a successful on-line campaign. While the book focuses on the Agri-food market specifically, I believe that many of the points Bruce makes are equally applicable to most other industries.

Challenges in Agri-foods & Supply Chain

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