Choline claims approved

The claims must be accompanied by one of the following statements: "Contains [Xmg] choline per serving, which is [X%] of the Daily Value for choline (550 mg)," or "Contains [X%] of the Daily Value for choline per serving. The Daily Value for choline is 550 mg." Labels also may include nutrient content claims of "Added choline," "More choline," "Enriched with choline," "Fortified with choline," "Extra choline," and "Plus choline," provided they include a statement indicating how much more choline has been added to the food, how much choline is in the food, and what percentage it represents of the stated Daily Value. This is the first such claim permitted under the terms of the FDA Modernization Act. FDAMA allows companies to notify FDA of a nutrient content claim based on an authoritative statement from an appropriate scientific body of the U.S. government or the National Academy of Sciences that identifies the nutrient level to which the claim refers. Under the new procedure, FDA has 120 days to prohibit or modify the claim. The National Food Processors Assn. said the choline claim demonstrates the value of FDAMA in helping food companies provide health-related information to consumers. "This is exactly what we envisioned FDAMA would do," said Regina Hildwine, NFPA's senior director of food labeling and standards.