Bahir Dar University Institute Of Technology school of chemical & food engineering program FTPE course: food law

& consumer afferness assignment 1

title: Nutritional Labeling, Nutrient Level
Claims, and Health Claims

OUTLINE
 Introduction
 THE NUTRITION LABELING AND EDUCATION ACT ( NLEA )  NUTRIENT LEVEL CLAIMS NUTRITION PANEL FORMAT

INTRODUCTION

What is nutrition labeling?

Nutrition labeling is information found on the labels of prepackaged foods. The legislated information includes:  The Nutrition Facts table  The ingredient list  Some optional nutrition claims

 These give you information about the nutritional value of a food. You can use this information to make healthier food choices and achieve overall good health. The Nutrition Facts table gives you information about:  Calories 13 core nutrients % Daily Value (% DV) of nutrients All of the information in the Nutrition Facts table is based an amount of food. This amount is always found at the top of the Nutrition Facts table

what is Nutrient Level Claims?

Nutrition claim' means any claim which states, suggests or implies that a food has particular beneficial nutritional properties due to: (a) The energy (calorific value) it (I ) provides; (ii) provides at a reduced or increased rate; or (iii) does not provide; and/or

(b) the nutrients or other substances it (I ) contains; (ii) contains in reduced or increased proportions; or (iii) does not contain;

What is health claims

Health claim means any claim that states, suggests or implies that a relationship exists between a food category, a food or one of its components and health. In the United States, these claims, usually referred to as "qualified health claims", are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration in the public interest

Nutrition and Public Health Expenditures Definition: Public health expenditure consists of recurrent and capital spending from government (central and local) budgets, external borrowings and grants (including donations from international agencies and nongovernmental organizations), and social (or compulsory) health insurance funds.

Nutrition and Public Cont. Total health expenditure is the sum of public and private health expenditure. It covers the provision of health services (preventive and curative), family planning activities, nutrition activities, and emergency aid designated for health but does not include provision of water and sanitation.

Nutrition and Public Cont.

There has been a debate about whether obesity is a personal or societal issue and whether the government has any business being involved. . . . The fact that the government, and ultimately the taxpayer, is financing half the economic burden of obesity, suggests that the government has a clear justification to try to reduce obesity rates

Nutrition and Public Cont.

As lawmakers face rising federal deficits, the study shines a light on where more tax dollars are going. An obese Medicare recipient spends on average $ 1,500 more on medical care each year than non - obese seniors. Medicaid recipients, who are mostly poor, may have a higher prevalence of obesity because they engaged in riskier behaviors such as poor diet, lack of exercise or alcohol consumption.

Nutrition and Public Cont.

In 2003, Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an initiative through Steps to a Healthier US , an HHS campaign to help Americans live longer, healthier lives. The two central pillars of Steps is the promotion of a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and encouraging regular physical activity.

 At the same time, FDA announced that it will require labels be easier for people to count calories. As a result of recommendations made by an FDA task force on obesity, FDA plans to revise its requirements for packaged food labels to make the caloric content easier to read and understand. FDA also sent letters to food manufacturers warning them not to label packaged foods with unrealistically small servings because this falsely reduces the apparent calorie count. FDA may also change the criteria for foods that can claim to be reduced or low in calories.

Nutrition and Public Cont.

Among the alternate approaches that have been suggested, others are as follows: Advertising campaigns A tax on fatty foods Subsidies for fruit and vegetable purchases

2.THE NUTRITION LABELING AND EDUCATION ACT ( NLEA ) Congress passed the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) in 1990. The NLEA amended the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD & C Act) and mandated nutritional labeling on most food products regulated by FDA. The NLEA was enacted in response to the consumer s demand for more information about the nutritional content of food products and the presence of food additives and allergens. Most of these regulations went into effect in 1994.

Good Reading for Good Eating Terms used to describe a food s nutrient content light, fat - free, and low calorie, for example will meet government definitions so that they mean the same for any product on which they appear. There will be many more products with labels to read because the regulations, for the first time, make nutrition labeling mandatory for almost all processed foods.

 The new food label is reading that can be put to good use, too, because it s designed to help clear up much of the confusion that has prevailed on supermarket shelves. It also can help consumers choose more healthful diets. And it can serve as an incentive to food companies to improve the nutritional qualities of their products.

3.NUTRIENT LEVEL CLAIMS FDA regulations set conditions for the use of terms that describe a food s nutrient level. Twelve basic terms have been defined that relate to nutrients:
Free Low Reduced Fewer Lean High Less More Extra lean Good source Light Healthy

 These 12 terms are the core nutrient level descriptors. These descriptors are defined as follows: Free: Product contains no amount of, or only trivial or physiologically inconsequential amounts of, one or more of these components: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars, and calories. For example, calorie - free means fewer than 5 calories per serving, and sugar free and fat - free both mean less than 0.5 g per serving. Synonyms for free include without, no and zero. A synonym for fat free milk is skim.

 Low: Foods that can be eaten frequently without exceeding dietary guidelines for one or more of these components: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories. Reduced: Nutritionally altered product that contains at least 25 percent less of a nutrient or of calories than the regular, or reference, product. However, a reduced claim can t be made on a product if its reference food already meets the requirement for a low claim.

 Lean: Less than 10 g fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving and per 100 g. High: Food contains 20 percent or more of the Daily Value 10 for a particular nutrient in a serving. Less: Food that, whether altered or not, contains 25 percent less of a nutrient or of calories than the reference food. For example, pretzels that have 25 percent less fat than potato chips could carry a less claim. Fewer is an acceptable synonym.

 More: A serving of food that, whether altered or not, contains a nutrient that is at least 10 percent of the Daily Value more than the reference food. The 10 percent of Daily Value also applies to fortified, enriched, and added extra and plus claims, but in those cases the food must be altered. Alternative spelling of these descriptive terms and their synonyms is allowed for example, hi and lo as long as the alternatives are not misleading.

 Extra lean: Less than 5 g fat, less than 2 g saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving and per 100 g. Good source: One serving of a food contains 10 to 19 percent of the Daily Value for a particular nutrient. Percent fat free: A low - fat or a fat - free product. In addition the claim must accurately reflect the amount of fat present in 100 g of the food. Thus, if a food contains 2.5 g fat per 50 g, the claim must be 95 percent fat free.

.1 Meals and Main Dishes Claims that a meal or main dish is free of a nutrient, such as sodium or cholesterol, must meet the same requirements as those for individual foods. Other claims can be used under special circumstances. For example, low - calorie means the meal or main dish contains 120 calories or less per 100 g. Low -sodium means the food has 140 mg or less per 100 g. Low - cholesterol means the food contains 20 mg cholesterol or less per 100 g and no more than 2 g saturatedfat. Light means the meal or main dish is low - fat or low - calorie.

3.2 Standardized Foods

Any nutrient content claim, such as reduced fat, low calorie, and light, may be used in conjunction with a standardized term if the new product has been specifically formulated to meet FDA s criteria for that claim, if the product is not nutritionally inferior to the traditional standardized food, and if the new product complies with certain compositional requirements set by FDA. A new product bearing a claim also must have performance characteristics similar to the referenced traditional standardized food. If the product doesn't , and the differences materially limit the product s use, its label must state the differences (e.g., not recommended for baking) to inform consumers.

3.3 Healthy A healthy food must be low in fat and saturated fat and contain limited amounts of cholesterol and sodium. In addition, if it is a single - item food, it must provide at least 10 percent of one or more of vitamins A or C, iron, calcium, protein, or fiber. Exempt from this 10 percent rule are certain raw, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables and certain cereal - grain products.

 These foods can be labeled healthy if they do not contain ingredients that change the nutritional profile and, in the case of enriched grain products, conform to standards of identity, which call for certain required ingredients.

4.NUTRITION PANEL FORMAT

Nutrients are declared as percentages of the Daily Values, which are label reference values. The amount, in grams or milligrams, of macronutrients (e.g., fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, and protein) is listed to the immediate right of these nutrients. A column headed % Daily Value appears on the far right side.

 In some circumstances, variations in the format of the nutrition panel are allowed. Some are mandatory. For example, the labels of foods for children under 2 (except infant formula, which has special labeling rules under the Infant Formula Act of 1980) may not carry information about saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, cholesterol, calories from fat, or calories from saturated fat.

HEALTH CLAIMS
A health claim is defined as any claim made on the label or labeling that expressly or by implication characterizes the relationship of any substance to a disease or health - related condition. The ability to make a health claim on a food product is a substantial marketing tool in today s health - conscious society. Therefore the claims are regulated tightly.

 However, ameliorating somewhat this strictness is the fact that there are three different types of health - related claims that are not regulated as health claims. These are called statements of nutritional support: 1. Descriptions of general well - being from consumption of the food. 2. Classical nutrient - deficiency disease and nutrition. 3. Structure - function claims.