FDA Again Considering 'Natural' Definition for Food

The Food and Drug Administration is once again considering whether to adopt a regulatory definition for “natural” food, and is accepting comments on the issue until Feb. 10, it said (here). The agency last considered a definition in the 1990s, before eventually adopting a policy not to restrict use of the term “except for added color, synthetic substances, and flavors,” it said (here). After receiving several petitions from several companies, industry associations and consumer advocacy groups, including one that asked for the term to be prohibited on labeling altogether, FDA will once again open the discussion.