Originally published October 11 2005
FDA study reveals that health claims on food labels mislead consumers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A recent FDA study on the effects of preliminary health claims on food labels was obtained by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and has created quite a stir upon its release, as the FDA found this practice misled consumers.
The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) policy of allowing preliminary health claims on food labels misleads consumers and has "failed the key communications test," according to a previously undisclosed FDA study obtained by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
Under the new policy, which the food industry helped craft, health claims are generally permitted regardless of the state of scientific evidence as long as companies include a disclaimer such as the scientific evidence supporting a claim is "limited and inconclusive."
For instance, the FDA authorized a label claim that green tea may reduce the risk of breast and prostate cancer, as long as the label also states that the agency believes it is "highly unlikely" green tea has such an effect.
The FDA study found that those qualifying statements don't "reliably convey the intended level of scientific support for a health claim," and that people in the study "attributed more certainty to claims with disclaimers than those without disclaimers."
Among the preliminary health claims sanctioned under the policy are claims that nuts, olive oil, and foods containing omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the risk of heart disease.
Under consideration are claims that whey protein in infant formula may reduce the risk of food allergies in infants, lycopene may reduce the risk of cancer, and that lutein may reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.
The food industry has long pressured the FDA to authorize claims without waiting for scientific agreement.
The industry argued that the FDA should instead follow a 1999 U.S. Court of Appeals decision that dietary supplement manufacturers had a First Amendment right to make preliminary health claims so long as disclaimers prevented consumer deception.
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