Health claims and food safety - EFR 6-34

The following article raises interesting questions related to health claims when food substances are altered. It also looks at the issue of the food label as advertising for the product versus education for the consumer. When is information a health claim and when is it just helpful nutrition education?

Summarized from FOOD CHEMICAL NEWS, May 13, 1996, pp. 3-4

A report, "The Keystone National Policy Dialogue on Food, Nutrition, and Health," dated April 29, 1996, from the Keystone Center, a Colorado think tank, suggested that the Food and Drug Administration should consider food safety issues when looking at future health claims for food labeling and advertising. The report was based on discussions by experts from government, industry, health groups and academia from 1993 to 1995. They focused on improving implementation of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990.

The report suggested that issues of food safety may arise from the use of new healthful food substances and from increased exposure to certain substances.

"The use of health claims for isolated food substances has a greater chance of resulting in overconsumption of the substance than the use of health claims for whole foods, and thus may raise safety concerns," said the report. Original approval of food additives or other food substances does not include assessing issues related to overconsumption according to the report.

Companies must follow a petition process for a new health claim to be approved. In looking at a new claim, a key question relates to whether the claim would change the way a food substance is consumed in a total diet. The potential exists for changing consumption in such a way as to eliminate a previously unknown protective substance. The protective substance might have played a key role the metabolism of the food substance that is the subject of the claim.

"However, not every food substance isolation results in the unveiling of an unsafe isolated substance hidden in a safe substance," the group acknowledged. "Isolation of a food substance could result in increased safety of the substance for consumption. Thus, extensive study of the safety profile of every isolated substance may not be warranted."

Another issue related to future research on diet-disease relationships was that of target populations, according to the report. Health claims are currently directed at healthy individuals. The report suggests that such claims could be targeted to special disease groups. "Research should consider the intended benefit for target groups, as well as any potential impacts on non-target groups. Research on food substance-disease relationships should demonstrate that the health claim is relevant for the general public or, alternatively, that the non-target population is not harmed," said the Keystone Center's report.

The report addressed the reluctance of the food industry to use nutrition education concepts on labels. It was stated that food manufacturers do not use the Food Guide Pyramid or other dietary guidance because they are unsure whether these materials might be interpreted as health claims. The reported proposed that a user's guide be developed to encourage more use of nutrition education on their labels. "To achieve the promise offered by the use of dietary guidance on food labels and in labeling, these types of concerns must be addressed so that manufacturers know the boundaries for using dietary guidance," the report said.

Those interested in obtaining a copy of the report should contact Abby Dilly or Jennifer Thomas at the Keystone Center's Washington, D.C. office, 1001 G St., N.W., Suite 430 West, Washington, D.C. 20001; 202-783-0328.