The current implementation of health claims and labeling information for foods and supplements is not adequately informing consumers on how to make healthy dietary choices, according to CFSAN's Barbara Schneeman, PhD.

However, moving forward to improve labeling communication requires that consumer confusion and distrust of product claims be avoided, she said.

"We've failed to achieve the potential of diet and lifestyle modification to reduce healthcare costs because of the failure to give consumers the tools they need to make appropriate food and supplement choices," Schneeman stated during the Chemical Heritage Foundation's FDA Centennial Conference in Philadelphia, Penn. May 16.

Schneeman, who heads CFSAN's Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling & Dietary Supplements, asked the audience to "consider various types of scenarios where consumers have skills to use label information to tailor their food and supplements."

"Such a scenario would require modernization of labeling information. It would require research support for substantiated health claims, as well as an investment in tailored health claims initiatives," she said.

"However, based on current trends, it's also possible to imagine scenarios where consumer distrust of claims with products increases," she said. "Safety issues remain unresolved and consumers do not develop the skills to adequately utilize label information on foods and dietary supplements."

"The future is ours to plan. We need to think of these scenarios, and then think about what are the steps that we put in place today to achieve the future that we would like," Schneeman concluded.

FDA and industry are facing the challenge of consumer confusion surrounding interpretation of health claims. A recent study revealed that "report card grade disclaimers" used in health claims caused confusion for consumers about the amount of scientific evidence backing the claim (¹ Also see "Qualified Claims Language And Grading Confuses Consumers – FDA Study" - Pink Sheet, 10 October, 2005., p. 7).

The agency proposed further study of health claims language and report card grading schemes in a May 22 Federal Register notice.

During the meeting, Council for Responsible Nutrition President Steven Mister also addressed the importance of communicating the right message to consumers by stating: "The biggest problem with the dietary supplement industry is the lack of consumer confidence."

"In order for the industry to grow, and grow in the way it should...America has to understand the benefits of these products, and they have to have confidence that they work," Mister commented. "This won't happen as long as they see outrageous claims that they know can't be true," he said.

Mister likened the dietary supplement industry to a teenager, stating that it is "in many ways...still an adolescent industry, trying to determine what it will be when it grows up."

"Like so many other teenagers, there are some industry members who vacillate between wanting to be treated like an adult and assuming the responsibilities that go along with that, and resisting regulation or demonstrating a certain lack of discipline or maturity."

Mister spoke about five main issues that will influence the future of the industry. He first mentioned the "evolving science that will continue to shape these products, and their labeling and marketing."

Although a substantial amount of research is conducted on dietary supplements, the financial incentives for the research are not the same as for drugs, due to a lack of patent protection for naturally occurring ingredients.

The second influence is the aging baby boomer population, Mister said, explaining that these older adults are generally more health conscious than previous generations. "This is the first generation of moms who told their children to take their vitamins every day," he said.

Third, rising health care costs are encouraging Americans to seek medical treatment and health solutions outside of the traditional mold.

Increasing globalization also is leading to "increased competition from Asia for raw ingredients," placing new pressure on manufacturers to source their ingredients less expensively, Mister maintained.

Finally, the "information age" is influencing the industry. Although the Internet allows consumers access to more information, it also "presents new risk," Mister said, as consumers can be mislead with ads that are "not well grounded in science."

- Melina Vissat

FDA, CRN Say Proper Supplement Labeling Can Enhance Consumer Trust

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