FDA to Consider Revisions to Daily Values Listed on Nutrition Facts Panels

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking seeking comments on the reference values that the agency uses to calculate the percent Daily Values listed on all food and beverage Nutrition Facts panels. In addition to considering new values, FDA is soliciting comments on whether some existing nutrients should be removed from Nutrition Facts panels and Supplement Facts labels.

"The proposed rule has the potential to involve label changes for every single product that has a Nutrition Facts panel. That would include virtually all dairy products, and therefore it's important for IDFA to comment," said Michelle Matto, IDFA assistant director of regulatory affairs. "It could also change dairy processors' ability to make nutrient content claims, such as 'good source' or 'excellent source,' which are based on Daily Value amounts."

FDA has not updated or developed new Daily Values since 1995. The agency is seeking comments on several reports issues since 1993, including revisions to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) published reports on Dietary Reference Intakes and their application, and the IOM report, "Guiding Principles for Nutrition Labeling and Fortifications."

Specifically, FDA is seeking comments, along with scientific justification, in three particular areas: how the agency should set Daily Values, whether separate values should be included for different life stages, and whether consumer use and understanding of current values should be used as a benchmark for determining updates and changes.

In addition, FDA is considering changes to the labeling of individual nutrients, such as trans fat. The agency is exploring whether saturated fat and trans fat should be listed on separate lines of the Nutrition Facts panel with a combined percent Daily Value for the two nutrients. Other nutrients under consideration are total fat, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and monosaturated fat; carbohydrates; cholesterol; dietary fiber; sugar alcohols; protein; sodium; chloride; and vitamins and minerals.

IDFA will be working with its Working Group on Nutrition to develop comments by the January 31, 2008, deadline. To join the working group or for more information, contact Matto at mmatto@idfa.org or 202-737-4332.

To read the advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, click here.

Posted November 13, 2007