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.
