21 CFR Chapter I, Subchapter B - FOOD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled “Food Labeling: Serving Sizes of Foods That Can Reasonably Be Consumed At One Eating Occasion, Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed, Serving Size-Related Issues, Dual-Column Labeling, and Miscellaneous Topics.” The draft guidance, when finalized, will provide questions and answers on topics related primarily to implementing two final rules, one entitled “Food Labeling: Serving Sizes of Foods That Can Reasonably Be Consumed At One Eating Occasion; Dual-Column Labeling; Updating, Modifying, and Establishing Certain Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed; Serving Size for Breath Mints; and Technical Amendments,” and the other entitled “Food Labeling: Revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” This draft guidance also discusses formatting issues for dual-column labeling, products that have limited space for nutrition labeling, and additional issues dealing with compliance.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is announcing that we have filed a petition, submitted by Bonamar Corp., proposing that we amend our food additive regulations to provide for the safe use of sources of ionizing radiation to control food-borne pathogens in finfish and flatfish.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is announcing that Zinpro Corp. has filed a petition proposing that the food additive regulations be amended to provide for the safe use of silicon dioxide as an anticaking agent for the use with zinc-L-selenomethionine as a feed component.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is classifying the active implantable bone conduction hearing system into class II (special controls). The special controls that apply to the device type are identified in this order and will be part of the codified language for the active implantable bone conduction hearing system's classification. We are taking this action because we have determined that classifying the device into class II (special controls) will provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness of the device. We believe this action will also enhance patients' access to beneficial innovative devices, in part by reducing regulatory burdens.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the Agency, or we) is announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled “Guide to Minimize Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-cut Produce.” The draft guidance, when finalized, will supersede a previous guidance, entitled “Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Fresh-cut Fruits and Vegetables,” that we issued in 2008. The draft guidance is intended to explain our current thinking on how to comply with recently modernized requirements for current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) and with new requirements for hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls under our regulation entitled “Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food” during the production of fresh-cut produce.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is classifying the intranasal electrostimulation device for dry eye symptoms into class II (special controls). The special controls that apply to the device type are identified in this order and will be part of the codified language for the intranasal electrostimulation device for dry eye symptoms' classification. We are taking this action because we have determined that classifying the device into class II (special controls) will provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness of the device. We believe this action will also enhance patients' access to beneficial innovative devices, in part by reducing regulatory burdens.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is classifying the external upper limb tremor stimulator into class II (special controls). The special controls that apply to the device type are identified in this order and will be part of the codified language for the external upper limb tremor stimulator's classification. We are taking this action because we have determined that classifying the device into class II (special controls) will provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness of the device. We believe this action will also enhance patients' access to beneficial innovative devices, in part by reducing regulatory burdens.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the Agency, or we) is partially granting a petition submitted by the Breast Cancer Fund (now known as the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners), Center for Environmental Health, Center for Food Safety, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumers Union, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Working Group, Improving Kids' Environment, Natural Resources Defense Council, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, and Mr. James Huff, by amending the food additive regulations to no longer authorize the use of benzophenone, ethyl acrylate, eugenyl methyl ether, myrcene, pulegone, and pyridine as synthetic flavoring substances for use in food. We are taking this action because, despite FDA's scientific analysis and determination that these substances do not pose a risk to public health under the conditions of their intended use, the petitioners provided data demonstrating that these additives induce cancer in laboratory animals, and, as a result of this finding in animals, FDA cannot as a matter of law maintain the listing of these synthetic flavoring substances in the food additive regulations. Because of evidence that benzophenone causes cancer in animals, FDA also is amending the food additive regulations to no longer provide for the use of benzophenone as a plasticizer in rubber articles intended for repeated use in contact with food. FDA is denying as moot the portions of the petition proposing that the food additive regulations be amended to no longer authorize the use of styrene as a synthetic flavoring substance because this use has been permanently and completely abandoned. In addition, FDA is declining to act on the petitioners' request to issue a regulation to prohibit the use of these synthetic flavoring substances in food because that issue is not the proper subject of a food additive petition.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing that Kemin Industries, Inc., has filed a petition proposing that the food additive regulations be amended to provide for the safe use of chromium propionate as a source of supplemental chromium in horse feed.