If you want to give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration your thoughts on the use of “natural” in food labeling, you’re almost out of time.
Tuesday, May 10, is the deadline for the FDA’s public comment period on the question. FDA, citing the complexity of the issue, extended the deadline late last year.
The FDA wants information and public comment on these questions:
- Whether it’s appropriate to define the term “natural”?
- If so, how should the agency define “natural”?
- How should the agency determine appropriate use of the term on food labels?
The issue of “natural” is at the heart of a recent class-action lawsuit against Quaker Oats. Traces of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, were found in some oatmeal. The lawsuit claims that Quaker Oats are billed as 100 percent natural and glyphosate isn’t natural, according to published reports.
Oats aren’t genetically engineered. But glyphosate often is used as a desiccant to dry out crops and speed harvesting.
Comment on the use of natural in food labeling can be given to the FDA here: http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm471919.htm .
