Proposed Changes in U.S.A. Regulations for Food Labeling

On November 17, 1999, the United States (U.S.A.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a proposed rule that would allow for the declaration of trans fatty acids in nutrition labeling and would limit trans fatty acids wherever saturated fat limits are placed on nutrient content or health claims. Specifically, FDA proposed that the amount oftrans fat be included with that of saturated fat. The combined amount would be followed by an asterisk referring to a footnote specifying the amount of trans fats included in the total value. In addition, the agency proposed that the percent Daily Value shown be based on the combined amount of saturated and trans fatty acids. Other options for declaringtrans fatty acids were discussed and comments requested. so published a notice on June 26, 2000, requesting comment on a Citizen Petition that requested: (1) the declaration of added sugars in nutrition labeling, (2) the development of a Daily Value for added sugars so that consumers would be informed of the proportion of a reasonable dayʹs intake of added sugars that was provided by a serving of food, and (3) the revision of criteria pertaining to nutrient content and health claims to take added sugars into account.