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Carb loading

The Food and Drug Administration is set to bring some order to a ‘Wild West’ array of label claims about carbohydrates on food packs.

Food marketers like Nestlé USA, Glendale, CA, may have to repackage key products after the Food and Drug Administration finally decides which of nine nutrient-content claims it wants to define for carbohydrates. These definitions will open the door for companies to use, for the first time, FDA-certified terms such as “excellent source” of and “low,” or “reduced” carbohydrates. The FDA is also set to announce a separate, less advanced rulemaking for defining the term “net” as it applies to carbs.

In a letter to Sheryl Marcouiller, chief counsel, food law, at Kraft Foods Global, Inc., Northfield, IL, Barbara Schneeman, director of the office of nutritional products, labeling and dietary supplements at the FDA, said the agency had completed its review of the Kraft petition and “would make every effort” to publish a proposed rule by June 30, 2005.

Kraft, ConAgra, Frito-Lay, and Unilever have each submitted petitions to the FDA asking the agency to set standards for carbohydrate label claims.

In the absence of those FDA-approved carb claims, Nestlé, like other companies, slapped a somewhat meaningless “CarbSelect” label on two of its PowerBars, Coffee Mate, and its Crunch and Baby Ruth candy bars. Ken Mercurio, director of regulatory and nutrition for Nestlé, admits that he doesn’t know what the CarbSelect implies about the carbohydrate content of those products. “But we got a lot of pressure from brand managers to put ‘carb something’ on those product labels and packages,” he added.

Nestlé isn’t alone, of course. Food packagers have introduced numerous new carb-conscious products, each with its own stylized carb-quizzical packaging copy. Breyers sells CarbSmart ice cream. Kraft promotes its Balance Bars as “low-glycemic.” Post has its CarbWell Peanut Butter breakfast bar. Hershey’s sells a Carb Alternative Kit Kat bar. Dannon has Light ‘n Fit Carb Control yogurt snacks. What these terms mean is anyone’s guess.

Mercurio says that Nestlé is still interested in the FDA definitions of terms such as “excellent” and “good” source of carbohydrates.

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