A proposed rule is not a final rule: FDA recently confirmed its reversal on "and/or" wording in ingredient statements.(REGULATORY ISSUES)

Food Processing, September, 2005 by Joy, David

FDA recently wrote to soft drink manufacturers regarding the use of "and/or" labeling to identify nutritive sweeteners in the ingredient declaration on product labels. This letter clarifies that nutritive sweeteners present in soft drinks, such as sucrose or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), must be specifically identified in the list of ingredients. The use of "and/or" labeling to identify two or more sweeteners is not acceptable.

It's worth reviewing the long and unusual history of this issue, as it contains a few lessons of general interest.

More than 20 years ago, the National Soft Drink Assn. (NSDA) petitioned FDA to allow the identification of these sweeteners using "and/or" ingredient labeling. FDA initially denied this petition in 1991, but...

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