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"US grocery manufacturers urge FDA for carbohydrate claims regulations"
Nutraceuticals International, March 2004 pNA
US grocery manufacturers urge FDA for carbohydrate claims regulations.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2004 Marketletter Publications Ltd.
The Grocery Manufacturers of America has called on the US Food and Drug Administration to establish new regulations for carbohydrate nutrient content claims. The current lack of such regulations limits the ability of food and beverage companies to provide consumers with the best information about carbohydrate content, it says.
The GMA asks the FDA to introduce federal regulations for carbohydrate nutrient content claims for single-serving foods, meal-type products and main dishes. Rather than focusing on one type of claim, the GMA makes specific recommendations about the requirements for labeling foods and beverages as "carbohydrate-free," "low carbohydrate," "good source of carbohydrate" and "excellent source of carbohydrate." Should the FDA adopt this approach, carbohydrates would be the first nutrient to have labeling standards for the entire range of nutrient content claims, it says.
The GMA has based its recommendation on the National Academy of Sciences' Macronutrient Report and on FDA precedent for other nutrient content claims, such as "low fat," "reduced sodium" and "good source of calcium." The NAS report provides the most comprehensive overview of the role and importance of carbohydrates in the diet and will be the basis for future labeling changes under consideration by the FDA, the organization points out.
The labeling claims proposed by the GMA "will alert consumers about the carbohydrate content of various foods and empower them to make the best choices based on their own needs, preferences and goals," said the group's director of nutrition and scientific policy, Alison Kretser.
Regulate implied claims, says CSPI
The GMA petition has been welcomed by the non-profit group Center for Science in the Public Interest, which notes that while there are labeling rules for nutrient claims such as "reduced fat" and "low- calorie," the FDA has never defined "low-carb," "reduced carb" or "carb-free," and this makes such claims illegal. However, it adds, manufacturers have begun to "flood supermarket shelves with foods that make implied low-carb claims," eg "carb smart," "carb aware" and "carb sense." Therefore, the CSPI also asks the FDA to:
regulate implied low-carb claims such as "carb counting," "carb fit" and "carb options" as if they were "low carb" or "reduced carb" claims. "Consumers clearly buy those foods because they expect to get fewer carbs," said CSPI nutrition director Bonnie Liebman. "If the FDA defines only 'low carb' claims, it will spin its wheels regulating a claim that few companies bother to use," she added;
prohibit "net carb" claims. Manufacturers get "net carbs" or "impact carbs" by subtracting fiber, sugar alcohols and other carbs that supposedly have "minimal impact on blood sugar," said Ms Leibman. But, she asked: "Is a carb that doesn't raise blood sugar no longer a carb? Should a company have to test a food to make sure that it doesn't boost blood sugar? The FDA should answer those questions and require all packages to follow the same rules. What if companies started deducting fats that don't raise blood cholesterol to get 'net fats,' or forms of sodium that don't raise blood pressure to get 'net sodium'? The Nutrition Facts panel would become a zoo of competing numbers that would confuse and, in some cases, mislead the public," she warned; and
require the words "not a low-calorie food" next to carb claims. Labels should alert consumers that foods with claims like "carb options" and "carb fit" are not low in calories, unless the food meets the FDA's definition of "low-calorie." The FDA does require a "not a low-calorie food" disclosure on foods that make "no sugar added" claims.
Consumers need to know that "minimal impact on your blood sugar" does not necessarily mean "minimal impact on your hips," cautioned Ms Liebman, adding: "it's a huge leap of faith to assume that the calories in a lower-carb food don't count." The CSPI proposes that a low-carb food should have no more than six grams of carbohydrates per serving and that the term "reduced- carbohydrate" should be permitted for foods that have at least a 25% fewer carbohydrates.
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