FDA Efforts: Trans Fat and Salt

1
FDA Efforts Trans Fat and Salt

• Julie Moss, PhD, RD
• Food and Drug Administration
• Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
• Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary
  Supplements

2
Trans Fat

• 2006
• Requires a trans fat amount without a DV
• Incentive for industry to decrease the trans fat
  content of foods

3
Trans Fat ANPRM 2003(68 FR 41507 July 11, 2003)

• Claims
• Disqualifying/disclosure levels
• Coincide with saturated fat limits?
• New trans fat claims
• Possible footnote/disclosure statement
• DV
• format
• method for determination
• Consumer Research

4
Trans Fat ANPRM 2007 (72 FR 62149 November 2,
2007)

• Goal Update daily values and mandatory nutrients
• Questions from the 2003 ANPRM are being asked
  again regarding a DV so these issues can be
  considered in the context of the entire Nutrition
  Facts and Supplement Facts labels
• Comments accepted until April 30, 2008

5
Trans Fat Consumer Research

• Data is collected, analysis to follow
• Evaluating consumer understanding of varying
  product characteristics (sat fat and cholesterol
  levels) having trans free and reduced
  nutrient content claims
• Evaluating consumer understanding of various
  footnote options (e.g., Intake of trans fat
  should be kept low)
• Evaluating effectiveness of various DV formats
  (trans fat DV combined with saturated fat, no
  trans fat DV)

6
Trans Fat Analysis

• GC methods
• FDA, AOCS and commercial labs to look at
  detection limits
• Will know more later this Spring

7
Trans Fat Analysis

• IR methods
• Qualitative id at low levels (0.5 total fat)
• Anal Bioanal Chem (2007) 3898792
• J Amer Oil Chem Soc (2007) 84339342
• Develop improved method to quantify low levels
  (below 0.5 g/serving)
• To be published
• Validation study through international labs
• Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, China, US

8
Next Steps for Trans Fat

• Use
• ANPRM Comments
• Science
• Consumer Research
• to develop a strategy to determine further
  rulemaking for trans fat labeling, e.g., claims,
  disqualifying/disclosure levels, DV or footnote
  statement

9
Salt Labeling

• Nutrient content claims (free, low, lightly
  salted, healthy, etc.)
• Health claims
• Low sodium BP
• Good K, Low NA BP/stroke
• Disclosure/disqualifying criteria
• Nutrition Facts label with a DV

10
Salt ANPRM 2007 (72 FR 62149 November 2, 2007)

• Should the DRV for sodium be based on the UL for
  sodium (2,300 mg/day) as suggested by the Dietary
  Guidelines for Americans or should it be based on
  the AI (1,500 mg/d using the population-coverage
  approach)?
• If the UL should be used, should it be adjusted
  using the same approach (population-weighted or
  population-coverage) as the other DRIs?
• Comments accepted until April 30, 2008

11
Salt GRAS

• Salt is regulated as a GRAS ingredient per 21 CFR
  182.1
• FDA has commented previously on salts GRAS
  status and has chosen labeling, rather than
  ingredient regulation, to encourage lower sodium
  intakes (per 1982 Policy Notice).

12
Salt Public Hearing

• November 29, 2007
• Goal
• Re-examine FDAs current framework of policies
  regarding salt and Na
• Discuss potential, future approaches as requested
  in a petition from CSPI
• Information and comments accepted until March 28,
  2008

13
Next Steps for Salt

• Reviewing comments to ANPRM on updating the daily
  values for labeling
• Reviewing information and comments from the
  public hearing
• Respond to the petition from CSPI

14
THANK YOU

• Trans Fat or Labeling Julie.Moss_at_fda.hhs.gov
• Salt Richard.Bonnette_at_fda.hhs.gov