The Bill Passed!

[Guest madissoninva1]

FDA commends the passage by the House of Representatives of S. 741, a bill that includes the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, as well as the Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Health Act (MUMS). Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton and Ranking Member John D. Dingell were instrumental in moving this bipartisan legislation forward in the House. House approval of the Senate-passed bill represents final Congressional action that clears the way for enactment of this important legislation that will help consumers identify foods that can cause severe allergic reactions and separately that will help create new incentives to develop and seek approval for treatments of diseases in animals, including zoo animals, exotic species and pets. The Agency applauds the dedication and leadership of the bill

[Guest Sibewill]

Thats great! Are there any estimates on when this will be enacted/ on the labels?

[celiac3270]

Yay!

[tarnalberry]

Sibewill, I believe the bill calls for the new labeling by 2006. Don't forget, however, that the bill only requires LABELING allergens, and DEFINING gluten free. So something may still be able to hide oats or rye or barley, because they are not common allergens.

[Guest madissoninva1]

I know it will take a while but it's a step in the right direction. I work for the FDA so I will be on the lookout for the time when they start requiring us to detain products that are not properly labeled in accordance to these new rules. One good thing that I have noticed over the years is that once a bill passes, though they may have until the year 2006 to implement it, many of the major companies will start doing it sooner than later in an effort to get a jump start on it and appear that they are abiding by the rules. It's good for publicity since this information is out there for everyone and has now been on the news (I have seen it twice this week and other friends of mine have called to tell me that they have seen it as well).

[dkmb]

The FDA has until 2008 to define the guidelines for gluten free and then it still remains optional for companies to include this on their labels. But this bill is a step in the right direction and we are already seeing companies moving toward better labeling--example--Kraft. And yes, the publicity is much welcomed.

DK