Reading the rules. (dc updates).(food labeling regulations)

Along with the Federal Trade Commission--the agency that monitors truth in advertising--the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced new regulations regarding the labeling of foods and dietary supplements. According to the new rules, the FDA will begin allowing "health claims" on conventional foods the same way it does for supplements.

The idea is that when emerging scientific evidence points to a specific food's health benefits, manufacturers can say so on their product labels, as long as the claim is OK'd by the FDA.

The agency characterizes this initiative as empowering "consumers to make smart, healthy choices about the foods that they buy and consume." And just in case this point proves elusive, they named their plan "Consumer Health Information for Better Nutrition," referring to improved diet, not BN.

media spin

You've probably already seen this story in your local newspaper or on television. But based on how the FDA described it above, you may not have recognized it. That's because most consumer news stories portrayed the FDA's initiative as lessening or lowering standards rather than providing information that's useful or truthful.

Many in the press predicted that the FDA's actions would open the floodgates to a torrent of spurious claims. The crux of the problem was that, prior to the FDA's announcement, a "consensus" of scientific evidence was required before manufacturers could make health claims on their food labels. Now, even though the FDA will still approve claims, it will "only" demand that--in its own words--the "weight" of scientific evidence supports the claim.

If you don't see a huge erosion of consumer protection down the slippery slope of deregulation, don't be confused. You're ready for the rule that most of the news media believes to be true: If something's good for industry, it must necessarily be bad for consumers.