Summary of: Alliance webinar with Dr. Susan Mayne on FDA nutrition programs
This Year’s FDA Webinars with Links, Alliance Speakers Available, and Excerpts from Dr. Mayne’s Webinar
Q: What webinars did the Alliance host during 2021 and are there materials available from each program?
A: Yes, here are the nine 2021 Alliance for a Stronger FDA webinars and links to materials:
April 14 webinar with Dr. Janet Woodcock, Acting FDA Commissioner (transcript)
May 25 webinar with Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, Director of CDER (transcript).
June 16 webinar on food safety/animal health with Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response Frank Yiannas, CFSAN Director Dr. Susan Mayne, CVM Director Dr. Steven Solomon (transcript)
July 14 webinar with Judy McMeekin, Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs (transcript)
July 22 webinar with Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, Director of CDRH (transcript)
October 15 webinar with Dr. William Slikker, Jr, Director of the National Center for Toxicological Research (transcript)
November 15 webinar with Dr. Paul Kluetz, Deputy Director of the FDA's Oncology Center of Excellence (transcript)
December 6 webinar with Dr. Wilson Bryan, Director of the Office of Tissues and Advanced Therapies (OTAT)(CBER) (transcript)
December 14, webinar on nutrition programs with Dr. Susan Mayne, Director of the Center for Food and Applied Nutrition (transcript)
Q: My organization would like its members to become more knowledgeable about FDA programs and resources. Are Alliance leaders available to speak at webinars and conferences?
A: Yes. If you would like to arrange for an Alliance speaker, please contact Executive Director Steven Grossman.
Q: Last week’s Friday Update had excerpts from Dr. Bryan’s webinar on FDA cell and gene therapy programs. Have you done the same for Dr. Mayne’s webinar on nutrition programs?
A: We recommend reading the transcript to get the full picture. Here are some excerpts:
“We have a generational opportunity in front of us to help turn the tide on diet-related chronic diseases. We are focusing on three areas to help improve nutrition and advance health equity. The first one is creating a healthier food supply, giving consumers more choices to eat healthier. The second one, establishing a healthy start to set the foundation for a long healthy life. And the third one is empowering consumers by providing informative labeling and tailored education for specific subgroups.”
“Our immediate priority in labeling is to update the nutrient content claim “healthy.” Nutrition science has evolved since we first established the claim in the early 1990s. So, we have been working hard and have developed a proposed rule to update the criteria. And that rule is now with OMB in final stages of clearance. We are eager to publish this rule very soon. Along with helping consumers better identify foods that are part of healthy eating patterns, the updated criteria could also incentivize industry to reformulate their products so that they could bear the “healthy” claim.”
“Additional resources would help support our work in labeling in e-commerce. Consumers’ use of e-commerce to shop for groceries has dramatically increased in recent years and further accelerated dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, our labeling requirements pre-date the trend of online sales of foods that would be delivered directly to consumers.”
“[We recognize the need] to really level the playing field. We know that many of our industry partners have told us they want to sell healthier products. They want to sell lower sodium products. But it has to be done gradually and it has to be done across the food supply to level that playing field.”
Editorial Note: The week’s Analysis and Commentary section was written by the Alliance’s Executive Director, Steven Grossman.