August 19, 2003
NUTRITION NEWS FOCUS
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Today's Topic: Science-Based Food Labels

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued new guidelines
for qualified health claims on food labels.  FDA wants to encourage
four changes: eating 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables each
day; eating more foods containing omega-3 fatty acids; using vegetable
oils instead of solid fats; and substituting nuts for proteins that
are high in saturated fat.

More importantly, the is now a report card with grades on how reliable
the evidence is for claims.  A grade of A means significant scientific
agreement exists; B means the evidence is not conclusive; C. means the
evidence is limited and not conclusive; and D means there is little
scientific evidence.  Existing health claims all fall under category
A, like foods high in calcium reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The new claims will be
considered qualified health claims and were previously not allowed,
even a claim that nut consumption reduces the risk of heart disease,
one of the FDA specified targets.  You can find much more about the
plan at http://www.fda.gov/oc/mcclellan/chbn.html.