The U.S. delegation of the Codex Committee on Food Labeling believes it unnecessary to consider a standard definition for "advertising" as it relates to health and nutrition claims for food.

"Advertising is best regulated at the national level," the U.S. delegation asserts in a draft position statement.

Establishing a definition "would impede member countries from adopting appropriate definitions that reflect the legal, cultural, and social influences of their respective societies," the group adds.

The draft position was presented by Director of CFSAN Office of Regulations & Policy Leslye Fraser during a meeting of the U.S. CCFL Delegation in Washington, D.C. April 26.

The U.S. committee is reviewing and finalizing the draft positions in preparation for the upcoming CCFL session in Malaysia scheduled for May 9-13.

The issue of a standardized definition of advertising for health and nutrition claims was raised during a May 2004 meeting of the CCFL in Canada. The Codex Alimentarius Commission asked the committee to consider the term "advertising" within the context of a draft guideline document that had been written on the use of health and nutrition claims for foods.

Many countries in attendance had differing opinions on whether the term should be included in the document.

"Product advertising is treated separately from product labeling in many countries," the U.S. draft position statement notes. "Adoption of Codex standards on advertising that are tied to product labeling raise broad policy, technical and legal questions that would need to be addressed before the adoption of any text."

Furthermore, the U.S. is concerned that advertising standards may "lead to restrictions of fair trade in foods that are safe and properly labeled when they leave an exporting country, but are improperly advertised in the newspapers of an importing country," the draft position states.

The CCFL also is slated to discuss issues such as country-of-origin labeling and the definition of trans-fatty acids during the meeting in Malaysia.

Codex Definition Of Advertising Could Clash With Cultural Differences – U.S.

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