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Health
claims to hit the shelves
February 13, 03
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Attention
supermarket shoppers! Get ready for a
parade of products bearing promises that
they can help make you fit and healthy.
That's because the food industry has been
given a green light by the government to
advertise on food packages health claims
that previously were out of bounds.
The Food and Drug Administration has
announced a new food labeling policy that
permits foods to carry health claims if
the "weight of scientific
evidence" supports the claim.
That's a step back from stricter
guidelines that called for
"significant scientific
agreement" before health claims
could be made for specific foods.
The food industry has been lobbying for
this change for years, sometimes
threatening to sue the FDA on the grounds
that the First Amendment protects its
right to freedom of speech in
advertising.
The FDA says the new policy will increase
competition among food producers and
result in more and better information and
products in the marketplace to help
people prevent disease and improve their
health.
"Science is continually evolving and
there are many issues of science that are
not completely settled," FDA
Commissioner Mark McClellan said in
announcing the decision. "Through
this effort, we will give consumers
accurate information about the latest
status of the weight of the evidence in
science, and we hope to continue to
update that information as new scientific
evidence becomes available."
Before appearing on food packages, all
product health claims will have to be
approved by an FDA panel.
But consumer advocates predict the FDA
won't be able to adequately screen all
the applications anticipated, resulting
in a surge of poorly substantiated health
claims in the supermarket.
"That's just really an invitation to
more snake oil being sold," Sidney
Wolfe of the consumer group Public
Citizen said after the FDA announcement.
Echoing those sentiments, Bruce
Silverglade, director of legal affairs
for the Center for Science in the Public
Interest, said the new policy lowers the
standard for health claims for foods to
the standard that has been used for
dietary supplements.
"The supplement claims standard has
led to a marketplace free-for-all of
misleading claims that we fear will now
spread to the much larger food
industry," Silverglade said.
One of the first health claims we're
likely to see in supermarkets is for the
omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid
(EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA),
found in fatty fish such as salmon,
sardines, and albacore tuna.
Science is pointing to foods rich in EPA
and DHA as having benefits for heart
health, though there isn't scientific
consensus on the matter yet.
What are the risks to you because of
relaxed standards for health claims on
foods?
One risk is that you will pay too much
for products that later turn out not to
have the benefits they promised.
Another risk is that you will be
encouraged to focus on a particular food
and lose sight of the big picture.
Putting too much emphasis on eating fatty
fish, for instance, might distract you
from the overall goal of eating more
fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole
grains, and legumes.
Of course, the most likely drawback to
the new policy may be that if health
claims are permitted before enough
scientific evidence exists to support
consensus on the benefits, further
findings may disprove them. The result?
More frustration and confusion about what
folks truly ought to be eating.
So how should you prepare for the likely
new crop of miracle foods?
• Be aware that the standard for
health claims has been relaxed.
Scrutinize package claims with a healthy
dose of common sense. If it seems too
good to be true, it probably is.
• Keep the big picture in sight. Oat
bran may lower cholesterol levels, but a
diet that emphasizes oat bran to the
exclusion of fruits and vegetables misses
the mark.
• Evaluate the total product. A
product boasting a beneficial ingredient
but loaded with saturated fat isn't a
good nutritional value.
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