The Grocery Manufacturers Association and Food Products Association (GMA/FPA), the largest trade association representing the food, beverage and consumer products industry, has issued the following statement from Senior Vice President and Chief Science Officer Pat Verduin, Ph.D., regarding her testimony before FDA’s public hearing on functional foods:
“All conventional foods and beverages are functional and have functional ingredients. We believe there is no value in having a separate and distinct regulatory approach for some foods versus others. Furthermore, current statutory and regulatory provisions require that ingredients used in the formulation of any food—including those that bear health, or structure-function claims—must be approved food additives, or generally recognized as safe (GRAS), for the intended use. This would include any novel or unique ingredients being incorporated into foods for functional benefits.
“The food industry is committed to the safety of foods and food ingredients and to truthful communication to consumers—including the use of substantiated claims. In addition to this commitment by the industry, the current statutory and regulatory frameworks of the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provide the necessary oversight for addressing any issues related to the marketing and labeling of ‘functional foods.’ It is important to also note that under current law, any claim used in marketing and labeling must be truthful, not misleading and substantiated. If a claim is false, misleading or unsubstantiated, current FDA and FTC policy calls for appropriate sanctions to be enforced.
“Consumers will be best served by the robust enforcement of existing provisions governing the safety of ingredients and the substantiation of claims.”
