Description
Advanced Media and
Technology Law
ALERT
Advertising Disputes Law
NOVEMBER 2015
FDA to Accept Comments on “Natural” in Food Labeling
In a surprising shift, the Food and Drug Administration
has announced that it is soliciting public comments
concerning how the term “natural” may be used in
food labeling. As we reported in a January 2014 alert
(available here), three federal judges had previously
requested clarification from the FDA as to whether
companies could use natural in describing genetically
modified foods. The FDA refused the courts’ requests,
noting that if it were to opine on that question, it would
do so in a rulemaking or formal guidance. Nearly two
years later, the FDA apparently regards the issue as
ripe for rulemaking.
Companies (and individuals) are invited to submit
comments on three issues:
The FDA is accepting public comments from
November 12, 2015, through February 10, 2016.
Information and a link to submit comments
electronically can be found on the FDA website
at http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/
GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/
LabelingNutrition/ucm456090.htm.
This alert is a publication of Loeb & Loeb and is intended to provide
information on recent legal developments.
This alert does not create or continue an attorney client relationship nor should it be construed as n hether W it is appropriate to define the term natural. n If of natural. While any FDA rule is unlikely to eliminate all ambiguity, formal guidance from the agency should provide some clarity and reduce the number of class action lawsuits and competitor complaints relating to natural product labeling and advertising. legal advice or an opinion on specific situations. © 2015 Loeb & Loeb LLP. All rights reserved. so, how the agency should define natural. n ow H the agency should determine appropriate use of the term on food labels. In seeking comments, the FDA affirmed its “longstanding policy” that the term natural means that “nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source)” has been included or added to a food.
The FDA has not, however, addressed how the term relates to food production (such as the use of pesticides) or processing (such as irradiation or thermal technologies). It remains to be seen whether this process will result in a firm definition This publication may constitute “Attorney Advertising” under the New York Rules of Professional Conduct and under the law of other jurisdictions. Los Angeles New York Chicago Nashville Washington, DC Beijing Hong Kong www.loeb.com . Advanced Media and Technology Practice KENNETH A. ADLER kadler@loeb.com 212.407.4284 DAVID G. MALLEN dmallen@loeb.com 212.407.4286 ELIZABETH J. ALLEN eallen@loeb.com 312.464.3102 DOUGLAS N.
MASTERS dmasters@loeb.com 312.464.3144 AMIR AZARAN aazaran@loeb.com 312.464.3330 NERISSA COYLE MCGINN nmcginn@loeb.com 312.464.3130 IVY KAGAN BIERMAN ibierman@loeb.com 310.282.2327 ANNE KENNEDY MCGUIRE amcguire@loeb.com 212.407.4143 ccarbone@loeb.com 212.407.4852 DANIEL G. MURPHY dmurphy@loeb.com 310.282.2215 mchamlin@loeb.com 212.407.4855 BRIAN NIXON bnixon@loeb.com 202.618.5013 mcharendoff@loeb.com 212.407.4069 ELISABETH O'NEILL loneill@loeb.com 312.464.3149 aclarke@loeb.com 310.282.22240 spaik@loeb.com 312.464.3119 pdownes@loeb.com 310.282.2352 KELI M. ROGERS-LOPEZ krogers-lopez@loeb.com 310.282.2306 cemanuel@loeb.com 310.282.2262 SETH A.
ROSE srose@loeb.com 312.464.3177 kflorin@loeb.com 212.407.4966 JULIE E. RUBASH jrubash@loeb.com 310.282.2252 dfrohling@loeb.com 312.464.3122 ROBERT MICHAEL SANCHEZ rsanchez@loeb.com 212.407.4173 DAVID W. GRACE dgrace@loeb.com 310.282.2108 ALISON SCHWARTZ aschwartz@loeb.com 312.464.3169 NATHAN J.
HOLE nhole@loeb.com 312.464.3110 MEREDITH SILLER msiller@loeb.com 310.282.2294 mhoward@loeb.com 310.282.2143 BARRY I. SLOTNICK bslotnick@loeb.com 212.407.4162 tjirgal@loeb.com 312.464.3150 BRIAN R. SOCOLOW bsocolow@loeb.com 212.407.4872 ijolly@loeb.com 212.407.4810 AKIBA STERN astern@loeb.com 212.407.4235 ckaplan@loeb.com 212.407.4142 JAMES D.
TAYLOR jtaylor@loeb.com 212.407.4895 ELIZABETH H. KIM ekim@loeb.com 212.407.4928 JILL WESTMORELAND jwestmoreland@loeb.com 212.407.4019 JANICE D. KUBOW jkubow@loeb.com 212.407.4191 DEBRA A.
WHITE dwhite@loeb.com 212.407.4216 jblee@loeb.com 212.407.4073 MICHAEL P. ZWEIG mzweig@loeb.com 212.407.4960 sliebman@loeb.com 212.407.4838 CHRISTIAN D. CARBONE MARC CHAMLIN MEG CHARENDOFF ALESON CLARKE PATRICK N.
DOWNES CRAIG A. EMANUEL KENNETH R. FLORIN DANIEL D.
FROHLING MELANIE J. HOWARD THOMAS P. JIRGAL IEUAN JOLLY CAROL M.
KAPLAN JESSICA B. LEE SCOTT S. LIEBMAN SUE K.
PAIK .
This alert does not create or continue an attorney client relationship nor should it be construed as n hether W it is appropriate to define the term natural. n If of natural. While any FDA rule is unlikely to eliminate all ambiguity, formal guidance from the agency should provide some clarity and reduce the number of class action lawsuits and competitor complaints relating to natural product labeling and advertising. legal advice or an opinion on specific situations. © 2015 Loeb & Loeb LLP. All rights reserved. so, how the agency should define natural. n ow H the agency should determine appropriate use of the term on food labels. In seeking comments, the FDA affirmed its “longstanding policy” that the term natural means that “nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source)” has been included or added to a food.
The FDA has not, however, addressed how the term relates to food production (such as the use of pesticides) or processing (such as irradiation or thermal technologies). It remains to be seen whether this process will result in a firm definition This publication may constitute “Attorney Advertising” under the New York Rules of Professional Conduct and under the law of other jurisdictions. Los Angeles New York Chicago Nashville Washington, DC Beijing Hong Kong www.loeb.com . Advanced Media and Technology Practice KENNETH A. ADLER kadler@loeb.com 212.407.4284 DAVID G. MALLEN dmallen@loeb.com 212.407.4286 ELIZABETH J. ALLEN eallen@loeb.com 312.464.3102 DOUGLAS N.
MASTERS dmasters@loeb.com 312.464.3144 AMIR AZARAN aazaran@loeb.com 312.464.3330 NERISSA COYLE MCGINN nmcginn@loeb.com 312.464.3130 IVY KAGAN BIERMAN ibierman@loeb.com 310.282.2327 ANNE KENNEDY MCGUIRE amcguire@loeb.com 212.407.4143 ccarbone@loeb.com 212.407.4852 DANIEL G. MURPHY dmurphy@loeb.com 310.282.2215 mchamlin@loeb.com 212.407.4855 BRIAN NIXON bnixon@loeb.com 202.618.5013 mcharendoff@loeb.com 212.407.4069 ELISABETH O'NEILL loneill@loeb.com 312.464.3149 aclarke@loeb.com 310.282.22240 spaik@loeb.com 312.464.3119 pdownes@loeb.com 310.282.2352 KELI M. ROGERS-LOPEZ krogers-lopez@loeb.com 310.282.2306 cemanuel@loeb.com 310.282.2262 SETH A.
ROSE srose@loeb.com 312.464.3177 kflorin@loeb.com 212.407.4966 JULIE E. RUBASH jrubash@loeb.com 310.282.2252 dfrohling@loeb.com 312.464.3122 ROBERT MICHAEL SANCHEZ rsanchez@loeb.com 212.407.4173 DAVID W. GRACE dgrace@loeb.com 310.282.2108 ALISON SCHWARTZ aschwartz@loeb.com 312.464.3169 NATHAN J.
HOLE nhole@loeb.com 312.464.3110 MEREDITH SILLER msiller@loeb.com 310.282.2294 mhoward@loeb.com 310.282.2143 BARRY I. SLOTNICK bslotnick@loeb.com 212.407.4162 tjirgal@loeb.com 312.464.3150 BRIAN R. SOCOLOW bsocolow@loeb.com 212.407.4872 ijolly@loeb.com 212.407.4810 AKIBA STERN astern@loeb.com 212.407.4235 ckaplan@loeb.com 212.407.4142 JAMES D.
TAYLOR jtaylor@loeb.com 212.407.4895 ELIZABETH H. KIM ekim@loeb.com 212.407.4928 JILL WESTMORELAND jwestmoreland@loeb.com 212.407.4019 JANICE D. KUBOW jkubow@loeb.com 212.407.4191 DEBRA A.
WHITE dwhite@loeb.com 212.407.4216 jblee@loeb.com 212.407.4073 MICHAEL P. ZWEIG mzweig@loeb.com 212.407.4960 sliebman@loeb.com 212.407.4838 CHRISTIAN D. CARBONE MARC CHAMLIN MEG CHARENDOFF ALESON CLARKE PATRICK N.
DOWNES CRAIG A. EMANUEL KENNETH R. FLORIN DANIEL D.
FROHLING MELANIE J. HOWARD THOMAS P. JIRGAL IEUAN JOLLY CAROL M.
KAPLAN JESSICA B. LEE SCOTT S. LIEBMAN SUE K.
PAIK .
