To the Editor.—
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in response to a suit by the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association and Sunkist Growers has exempted fresh fruits and vegetables from nutrition information labeling regulations (Federal Register, Nov 28, 1973). The FDA announced that it will promulgate specific labeling requirements for these products. The plaintiffs had alleged that it would be impossible for the fresh fruit and vegetable industry to comply with the rules and that the FDA had exceeded its statutory authority. The FDA action is not an admission of any allegation.
The United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association favors the concept of nutrient labeling. We hope it will be possible to devise regulations that will permit people in our industry to provide nutrition information to consumers. This can be done if the FDA consults experts on the subject, apparently having no specialists of its own.
The outcome
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