FDA sued over health claims

Current law requires that health claims be backed up with “significant scientific agreement,” whereas FDA says it will now allow claims with less substantiation, provided they bear a disclaimer.

CSPI called it “the most serious roll-back in food labeling in the last 20 years.” It said consumers would come to distrust all health claims. The suit also charged FDA with ignoring laws requiring the agency to respond to public comments and to justify its decisions regarding the new health claims standard.