To say that FDA has been on an aggressive tear lately is putting it mildly. FDA’s regulatory agenda is so full that advocates went to court to force timelines on the multitude of food safety regulations required by the Food Safety Modernization Act. That, however, has not prevented FDA from moving forward with a number of nutrition-related items, not the least of which are revoking the GRAS status of partially-hydrogenated oils (PHOs) due to trans fats and the first revamp of the nutrition facts panel in over 20 years.
ABA and its member companies have a long record of leading food safety efforts and providing clear information to consumers regarding their products. In that vein, ABA is supportive of FDA’s objectives on both PHOs and the nutrition facts panel rewrite. That does not mean, however, that we are rolling over and accepting FDA’s initiatives.
ABA has a responsibility to the industry to push FDA to achieve their laudable goals in the least disruptive way possible and to be supported by the best scientific, medical and nutritional information available. The core of ABA’s approach is the coupling of the scientific foundation with the real world practicalities of implementing FDA’s proposals. Sure, we are pulling from leading experts in their fields, including the highly accomplished members of the Grain Foods Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee, but we are also relying upon the collective expertise of the ABA membership.
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