FDA tightens focus on food label claims

By Kaye Spector
Plain Dealer Health and Medical Writer

Food labels are coming under increasing scrutiny of late, from consumers as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
They have their own reasons: Health-conscious buyers say they want nutrition information, while the agency wants to improve labels' scientific accuracy and usefulness.

Americans' use of the label has increased in recent years, says a newly released FDA survey conducted in 2008. Fifty-four percent of consumers reported “often” reading the label before purchasing a product, a 10 percent jump over the 2002 survey.

The most-cited reason was to measure such aspects as calories, salt, vitamins or fat – information contained on the “Nutrition Facts” panel on the side or back of a product. The second most-cited reason was to gain a general idea of nutritional content.

Many consumers also are using nutrition claims on the front of food packages to make purchasing decisions: 72 percent of those surveyed reported using claims such as “low-fat,” “high-fiber” or “cholesterol-free” either often or sometimes; 67 percent used the claim “zero grams of trans fat” in their decisions.

At the same time, people expressed different degrees of trust about these claims. Forty-one percent said they trusted claims such as “low- fat” or “high fiber,” while 56 percent believe some or none are accurate.

It's these front-of-label claims that prompted the FDA recently to issue warning letters to 17 food manufacturers, saying one or more of their products featured misleading health or nutritional claims.

The products ranged from baby food to olive oil and frozen coconut cream pie. Among them:

Nestle's Juicy Juice All-Natural 100% Juice Orange Tangerine and Juicy Juice All-Natural 100% Juice Grape labels wrongly imply they are 100 percent juice when they are actually juice blends with added flavors, the FDA said.

Salada Naturally Decaffeinated Green Tea claims it will treat, prevent or cure diseases such as Alzheimer's, rheumatism and cancer, assertions not allowed on food products, the FDA said.

Diamond of California Shelled Walnuts similarly claims that it will treat, prevent or cure diseases such as heart disease, arthritis and cancer, the FDA said.

Several baby food products, with brand names such as Beechnut, Gerber and Parent's Choice, make health claims, which are not allowed on products for children younger than 2 because dietary levels have not been established for that age range.

The FDA also took issue with products like Nestle Drumstick Classic Vanilla Fudge, Gorton's Fish Fillets and Mrs. Smith's Coconut Custard Pie that trumpet one aspect – such as having no trans fat – but do not identify high levels of other substances – such as saturated fat.

Companies that receive warning letters have 15 business days to inform the FDA of how they will correct their labeling. Several of the manufacturers, including Nestle, Gerber and Diamond, have said they are working to make the changes.

The FDA, under Commissioner of Food and Drugs Margaret Hamburg, says nutrition labeling is a new priority.

The warning letters follow a statement by Hamburg in October encouraging food companies to review their labels to ensure they comply with FDA regulations, are truthful and not misleading.

The agency is expected to soon propose calorie and nutrient guidelines for front-of-package labeling.

“I think it is long overdue,” said Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian who counsels patients in the Cleveland Clinic's Lifestyle 180 program. “I think people are drawn to these products because of health claims. And a lot of times these foods will do more harm than good.”

Kirkpatrick teaches her patients to go to the nutrition facts box and the ingredient list for the real skinny on what's in a product, and not the marketing claims on the front, in the ads or on the Web site.