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The AACC International Dietary Fiber Definition Task Force
submitted a letter in response to the FDA’s call for comments on
the revised reference values and mandatory nutrients on food
labels. Approved by the AACC Intl. board, the letter was
submitted to the FDA on January 30, 2008.
The Dietary Fiber Definition Task Force, chaired by Barry
McCleary, Megazyme International Ireland, is comprised of
members from academia, industry, and government who seek to
arrive at the best definition with regard to dietary fiber. Task
force members include: Nelson G. Almeida, W K Kellogg Institute;
Mary Ellen Camire, University of Maine; Stuart A. Craig, Danisco
USA Inc.; Jan A. Delcour, Katholieke University of Leuven;
Jonathan W. DeVries, General Mills Inc.; Julie M. Jones, College
of St. Catherine; David R. Lineback; Robert L. Magaletta, Kraft
Foods Inc.; and Patricia A. Richmond, Tate & Lyle.
According to the task force’s letter, the Institute of Medicine
(IOM) definition of dietary fiber includes two categories:
dietary fiber and functional fiber. AACC International opposes
the use of the term "functional fiber" on food labels because
current analytical methods cannot discriminate between dietary
fiber that is naturally present in a food and isolated fiber
that is added to a food. The IOM definition may also confuse
consumers who perceive functional fiber to be healthier than
dietary fiber due to confusion with the term functional foods.
The continued use of AOAC International analytical methods for
dietary fiber measurement is recommended. These methods are also
AACC International-approved methods. Both organizations are
working together to develop an improved procedure that measures
all compounds that are included in both the AACC International
and the 27th Session of the Codex Committee on Nutrition and
Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) definitions of dietary
fiber.
The task force also supported the voluntary labeling of
insoluble and soluble fiber because research indicates that the
two general categories of dietary fiber have distinct health
benefits. The inclusion of viscous and non-viscous fiber on the
Nutrition Facts Panels is not warranted, however, because
precise methods for measuring viscosity have not been validated
by inter-laboratory evaluation.
Other nations look to U.S. food labeling policies to guide their
own programs; therefore AACC International has an obligation to
its members both in the U.S. and abroad to advocate for sound
science in federal rule-making.
Read the
task force’s full letter and the
FDA’s call for comments. The FDA has extended the deadline
to submit comments on this issue to April 30, 2008, for those
who would like to make additional comments.
AACC International members are invited to submit suggestions on
additional issues that the association should address by
contacting Susan Kohn, AACC Intl. membership and communications
director, at skohn@scisoc.org
or +1.651.994.3812.
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