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Article: The confusing side of food health claims.
- Article from:
- Consumers' Research Magazine
- Article date:
- May 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Consumers' Research, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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For years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) resisted any policy that sanctioned the use of health claims on food labels. The agency had good reason. It recognized the inherent pitfalls. The agency was concerned that claims might serve more as marketing devices than as educational tools.
The FDA's long-held opposition was reversed by the U.S. Congress with the passage of the Nutrition Labeling and Nutrition Act of 1990 (NLEA), implemented in 1992. Among many provisions, the law established a new policy to sanction health claims. Protocols were established. A claim could be made in several ways: through third party reference (e.g. the National Cancer ...