FDA Moves Closer To Beefing Up Low-Carb Standards; New Rules On The Way; Advisory panel member says focus is on defining various product claims.(HEALTH & MEDICINE)(Q & A)

Byline: AMY REEVES

The average shopper trying to watch his carbohydrates faces a profusion of labels: low carb, reduced carb, net carb, carb conscious, carb aware. What does it all mean?

At present, not much. Because the low-carb craze is fairly new, there are no generally accepted definitions for those terms.

That will soon change.

Since March, the Food and Drug Administration has been working on a new set of rules defining what claims food makers can make for carb content. The agency heard from an advisory committee that recommended carb-labeling guidelines from an industry perspective.

The new rules, which could be out in a matter of days, will affect a growing industry. Last year low-carb products raked in an estimated $15 billion. That could double this year.

Naomi McKay, director of technical services, research and development for Krusteaz, a baked-goods unit of Continental Mills, was on the panel that made recommendations to the FDA. Her employer has its own line of "Carb Simple" products. McKay recently spoke with IBD.