Labeling & Standards
August 29, 2005
IDFA Supports Food Standards Framework that Allows Timely Modernization
In comments filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 18, IDFA commended the government's effort to establish "general principles" to update food Standards of Identity, but asked that FDA choose an approach that would allow for timely and across-the-board modernization of these regulations. IDFA was responding to a public call for input on the joint FDA-U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed guiding principles on food standards, 40% of which cover dairy products.
"IDFA applauds any effort to develop an improved mechanism to update current standards in a timely way," states IDFA President and CEO Connie Tipton in the comments. However, she pointed out, "although the proposed principles for evaluating food standards are laudable, we fear that they may leave us with the same gridlock that we experience today."
IDFA suggests that FDA take a "horizontal" rather than "vertical" approach to the framework, which would allow FDA to issue "a single regulation that adds flexibility to all food standards at once" instead of investing the agency's limited resources in a separate notice-and-comment rulemaking process for the 280+ standards of identity that now exist. IDFA has long advocated for increased flexibility in food standards to allow for new technologies, and the association has submitted several proposals to modify individual dairy standards that have not been acted upon by FDA.
"To achieve efficient and timely modernization, IDFA recommends that the agency model its modernization efforts on past successes in the standards area," states Tipton, noting that the agency set a precedent with nutrient content claim criteria by issuing a single regulation that permits variation from standards.
IDFA addressed its comments to FDA, since that agency regulates standards of identity for dairy foods and other foods that do not fall within USDA's purview of meat, poultry and processed egg products. To read the full comments, click here.
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