Posted June 10, 2014
On May 30, in a meeting with the Office of Management and Budget, the American Bakers Association (ABA), along with a coalition of food industry organizations, discussed their support for Food and Drug Administrations (FDA)’s public health goals, however; they also expressed concerns with the suggested approach of a PHO Tentative GRAS Determination Notice (TD), according to a press release available here. Baking Business also published an article available here and Politico here.
The FDA has filed a Federal Register stating that partially hydro-generated oils (PHOs), the primary dietary source of industrially produced trans fat, are tentatively not Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) for use in food products, according to Baking Business.
If the rule is finalized, food manufacturers will no longer be allowed to sell PHOs directly or as an ingredient in food products, without prior FDA approval.
The Coalition recommended that FDA withdraw the notice and instead suggested FDA to go through formal rulemaking, which includes the safeguards, assessments, and data required for major actions. They also shared the significant progress the industry has made over the last decade to reformulate products, with the exception of products like PHOs lacking a healthier option available, according to the ABA.
“Alternatives to trans products need to be specifically tailored for the application and our customer’s specific equipment,” said Jansen, vice-president of regulatory, quality and innovation for Bunge Oils, in a statement. “In the case of the F.D.A.-specified products, that means one solution will not meet multiple customers’ needs within the same category such as icings. Each customer will need to find a tailored situation that likely only works specifically for its formula and equipment.”
Industry progress has been made in removing trans fat from products. Since 2006 when trans fat began appearing on nutrition labels, its intake among Americans has dropped from 4.6 grams per day in 2003 to 1 gram per day in 2012.
The Coalition stated that there are other approaches to lower PHOs and trans fat in diets that were not considered in FDA’s memo. The Coalition also discussed alternative actions such as including trans fat reductions by lowering the labeling thresholds, in addition to encouraging others to seek alternative approaches – “i.e., allow use for incidental additives use where there is no to very low level of PHOs and no significant health impact,” said ABA.
The National Oilseed Producers Association also expressed concern in the meeting that the U.S. soybeans farmers’ acreage demands would suffer significantly, which would negatively impact the market, according to Politico.
For more information on food labeling, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
Share: