Food Regulatory Activities1

Abstract

Current regulatory activities at the Food and Drug Administration cluster about several main lines of thrust. (a) More informative labeling. Examples are nutrient labeling, ingredient labeling on standardized foods, percentage declaration of characterizing ingredients, and on new foods, the definition of generic names. (b) Increasing emphasis on effective cooperation between State and Federal authorities. (c) Increased emphasis on food plant inspection. (d) More emphasis on inspection of quality assurance instead of only production. This includes quality assurance procedures applied to plant sanitation. (e) Increased attention to environmental contaminants, such as toxic metals and industrial organic chemicals. (f) Review of the safety of food ingredients with initial emphasis on the GRAS list.