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| Improved Labels Will Help Consumers Choose Heart-Healthy Foods |
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HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that food labels will be
required to list the amount of unhealthy trans fatty acids, or trans fat, to
give consumers better information when choosing their foods.
The new requirement through the Department's Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) will mean that manufacturers of most conventional foods and some
dietary supplements will have to list in the Nutrition Facts panel the trans
fat content of the product, in addition to the information about its overall
fat content and saturated fat content.
The additional information will give consumers a more complete picture of
fat content in foods -- allowing them to choose foods low in trans fat,
saturated fat and cholesterol, all of which are associated with an increased
risk of heart disease. Reducing the intake of trans fat and saturated fats
is recommended by the Federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
"We are empowering Americans to make healthier choices about the foods they
eat," Secretary Thompson said. "By putting trans fat information on food
labels, we are making it possible for consumers to make better educated
choices to lower their intake of these unhealthy fats and cholesterol. It's
just one more way we're helping consumers lead healthier lives."
The announcement is another step in Secretary Thompson's efforts to give
consumers better health information that allows them to take the right steps
to reduce their risk of disease, including making sound dietary choices.
Under the new FDA regulations, by Jan. 1, 2006, consumers will be able to
find trans fat listed on food nutrition labels directly under the line for
saturated fat. The new information is the first significant change on the
Nutrition Facts panel since it was established in 1993.
The new labeling reflects scientific evidence showing that consumption of
trans fat, saturated fat and dietary cholesterol raises low-density
lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) levels that increase the
risk of coronary heart disease. Nearly 13 million Americans suffer from
coronary heart disease, and more than 500,000 die each year from causes
related to coronary heart disease.
Trans fat occurs in foods when manufacturers use hydrogenation, a process in
which hydrogen is added to vegetable oil in order to turn the oil into a
more solid fat. Trans fat is often but not always found in the same foods
as saturated fat, such as vegetable shortening, some margarines, crackers,
candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, salad dressings,
and other processed foods.
"Our choices about our diets are choices about our health, and those choices
should be based on the best available scientific information. This label
change means that trans fat can no longer lurk, hidden, in our food
choices," said Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., commissioner of FDA.
"Americans will now be armed with better information to reduce their intake
of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol - which could significantly
lower the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in America
today."
By providing more useful information to consumers seeking a healthy diet,
the new labels are expected to reduce the costs of illness and disease for
Americans. The FDA estimates that the changes in regulations will save
between $900 million and $1.8 billion each year in medical costs, lost
productivity and pain and suffering.
The new label is part of the department's broader efforts to more
effectively inform consumers about the health consequences of their dietary
choices. The agency hopes to improve the nutrition label to provide
clearer, up-to-date guidance on a healthy overall diet. FDA is also working
to increase the focus on health in food product development and promotion,
as well as encouraging research that would foster greater science-based
competition among food producers to improve health.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at HHS' National
Institutes of Health (NIH) supports the new labeling.
"Trans fat, like saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, raises LDL "bad"
cholesterol levels in the blood, which increases the risk for heart
disease," said Dr. Claude Lenfant, director of NHLBI. "It is therefore
desirable to have food labels display all the information that can help
consumers choose foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol as
part of a healthy diet."
Although some food products already list trans fat on the food label, food
manufacturers have until Jan.1, 2006, to add it to the nutrition label.
This phase-in period minimizes the need for multiple labeling changes and
allows small businesses to use up current label inventories. The FDA will
allow manufacturers to implement the change more quickly, and in fact
expects many manufacturers to start listing trans fat content soon.
In addition, dietary supplement manufacturers will now need to list trans
fat, as well as saturated fat and cholesterol, on the Supplement Facts panel
when their products contain more than trace amounts (0.5 gram) of trans fat.
Examples of dietary supplements that may contain trans fat are energy and
nutrition bars.
The new requirements are included in final FDA regulations to be published
in the Friday,July 11, Federal Register.
FDA today also is issuing an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to
solicit information and data that could lead to further changes in nutrition
and product labels related to trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
"While giving consumers accurate information about the trans fat content of
their foods is an important step forward, we must do more to help consumers
improve their nutrition," said Dr. McClellan. "Consequently, we are also
giving notice that we intend to take further steps to increase consumer
understanding of the importance of limiting consumption of trans fat,
saturated fat, and cholesterol in their diet."
In particular, comments in response to FDA's notice could assist the agency
in further action to establish:
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new nutrient content claims about trans fat, for example,
claims that a product is "low in trans fat" on its label |
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qualifying criteria for trans fat in current nutrient
content claims for saturated fat and cholesterol, lean, and extra
lean claims, because the claims currently allowed by FDA in these
areas may not appropriately reflect trans fat content |
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health claims that contain a message about cholesterol-raising
fats. |
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FDA is also requesting comments on whether it should consider statements
about trans fat, either alone or in combination with saturated fat and
cholesterol; as a footnote in the Nutrition Facts panel (for example, to
modify the recommended daily amount of trans and saturated fat and
cholesterol to encourage limiting intake of all three); or as a disclosure
statement in conjunction with claims to enhance consumers' understanding
about such cholesterol-raising lipids and how to use the information to make
heart-healthy food choices.
Additional information about today's announcements and broader efforts to improve
health by providing information consumers can use to make healthy choices is
available on FDA's Web site at http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/transfat/.
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