To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require that foods containing spices, flavoring, or coloring derived from meat, poultry, other animal products (including insects), or known allergens bear labeling stating that fact and their names.

January 29, 2003

Mrs. LOWEY (for herself, Ms. LEE, and Ms. DELAURO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require that foods containing spices, flavoring, or coloring derived from meat, poultry, other animal products (including insects), or known allergens bear labeling stating that fact and their names.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Food Ingredient Right to Know Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds as follows:

(1) Millions of Americans follow certain dietary guidelines for health, religious, and cultural reasons. These individuals depend on ingredient labels for the information they need to abide by these guidelines.

(2) Under current regulations, food manufacturers are not required to identify the products used in natural or artificial flavorings, colorings, or spices, or some food additives.

(3) These additives often contain derivatives of meat, poultry, other animal products such as insects, and allergens (such as peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, soy, and wheat).

SEC. 3. FOOD LABELING; REQUIREMENT OF STATEMENT REGARDING SPICES, FLAVORING, AND COLORING DERIVED FROM MEAT, POULTRY, OR KNOWN ALLERGENS.

Section 403 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 343) is amended--

(1) in paragraph (g), by inserting `, subject to paragraph (w)' before the period at the end;

(2) in paragraph (i), by inserting `, subject to paragraph (w)' before the first period; and

(3) by adding at the end the following paragraph:

`(w) If it contains any spice, flavoring, or coloring derived from meat, poultry, any other animal product (including insects), or a known food allergen unless its labeling bears a statement with appropriate prominence on the information panel providing that fact and the name of the meat, poultry, other animal product, or known food allergen, respectively.'.

END