FDA Cracks Down of Food Labels
On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration issued Warning Letters to 17 different food manufacturers for violations of labeling requirements in the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The letters were sent in regard to slight violations posing no immediate consumer safety risks. The violations primarily dealt with misleading dietary descriptions. This is the first time in years the FDA has enforced widespread violations of these types of regulations. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, M.D. has made it clear that nutrition labeling is a top priority for the FDA under her leadership. Thus, food companies must promptly make compliance assessments of their products to ensure they will not fall victim to the next round of citations. The recipients of Warning Letters have 15 days to respond to the FDA with their plans for corrective action. Many of the citations are for claims that a product is "healthy" or nutritious where the FDA alleges they do not meet the legal requirements for such claims. Other citations allege mislabeling of total fat or juice content in food products; and claiming a product is safe for young children when it has only been tested for adults.
