3/3/2006 - The Sugar Association has filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting the establishment of a clear definition for the use of the term ‘natural’ on food and beverage product labels.
The petition claims that the current lack of a formal definition for the term has resulted in misleading claims and consumer confusion.
It requests the adoption of the definition of ‘natural' currently used by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for meat and poultry products. This states that products can only carry a ‘natural' claim if they contain no artificial or synthetic ingredients, and if they are minimally processed.
Indeed, such a ruling would bring significant benefits to the sugar industry, which currently faces stiff competition from artificial and synthetic sweeteners.
Full Article by Lorraine Heller
# posted by madthumbs @ 9:43 AM