Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990

So that then led to, uh, our participation in a agency rule making that was there...

That was the, the driving force behind their immediate concern, in which the FDA was defining what it, uh, a new statute, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, which included within it a provision, uh, that, uh, would allow for health claims for dietary supplements, nutrient disease claims for dietary supplements, provided that, uh, uh, and this is h- through their interpretation, but provided that significant scientific agreement was established.

That term of art was never fully, uh, defined, but, uh, essentially meant whatever the agency wanted it to mean, and let the agency, uh, establish a standard so high that it would always be impossible to satisfy.

So they wanted to, the, the agency direct- vehemently objected to the inclusion of this provision in the NLEA, lost that argument, and then through construction, intended to defeat it, such that it could be a d- it would be a dead letter.

are there to remind us exactly what we are and aren't putting into our bodies.

In the U.S., those nutrition facts are there because of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, which was signed in 1990 and basically says that people have a right to know what they're putting into their bodies.

This is why even the most eye-catching, mouth-watering, stomach-grumbling food packaging out there still needs to clearly feature those oh-so-recognizable nutrition facts.

This can include other information, too.