Adulteration and Misbranding
Adulteration and Misbranding
Adulteration and Misbranding
Jurisdictional prerequisites to
exercise of federal power to seize, condemn, recall, or destroy nonconforming food products
What is Adulteration?
Simple definition:
Defines almost every situation where the quality of a food might by impaired to the point where it should be removed from interstate commerce Statutory definition has been changed by court decisions (ad hoc) and by amendments.
Adulteration
Act of intentionally debasing the quality of food offered for sale either by admixture or substitution of inferior substances or by the removal of some valuable ingredient.
Adulteration
Defined by statute
Degree of contamination may determine if adulterated Today, whether a food is adulterated or not is a question of fact which is decided by a court in an enforcement proceeding
Adulteration
Greeks and Romans acted to prevent wine makers from coloring and flavoring wine Athens had public wine inspector England proscribed scanting weight of bakery goods Coffee, tea and cocoa placed under control of parliment
Adulteration
Edward the Confessor provided public punishment for brewers of bad ale Pliny the Elder mentioned adulteration of bread Addition of chalk to flour during WWII Addition of sand to brown sugar and rice to make heavier Addition of colors to disguise poor quality
Adulteration
Snails added to milk to make more frothy Added water can be an adulterant Addition of sand to brown sugar and brown rice
Adulteration
By middle 1800s chemical and microbiological knowledge increases so food products could be analyzed Food adulteration then could be studied from standpoint of consumer safety Dr. Harvey Wileys poison squad
Intentional Adulteration
Coal Tars in EU Vegetable dyes in US Peas, wines, catsup Pear, banana essence in fruit juices
Food Flavors
Intentional Adulteration
Milk adulterated with water and by removal of cream Butter adulterated with lard and oleomargarine Cheese made from skim milk or cottonseed oil
Filled Milk
Adulteration Criteria
Magic words:
Poisonous and deleterious Added substances May render injurious to health Ordinarily injurious
Poisonous or Deleterious
Part of law since 1906 Act Problem with P/D as adulteration criteria Almost any substance can be shown to be P/D under some condition Poisonous depends upon dose
Poisonous = injurious effect or deadly effect as result of chemical reaction between substance and body
N2 gas in flour
Deleterious = broader term which includes mechanical, physical and bacterial agents
Added Substances
Substances intentionally added to foods are scrutinized more closely Legal question is whether or not substance is considered added or a component of the food Would now be considered food additives
US v. Coca Cola
Issue: Was caffeine an added substance in coca cola Company argued caffeine even if added separately should NOT be considered an added substance b/c essential to identity of product. (Not coke w/o caffeine) Court decided caffeine was an added substance on basis of protection consumer
US v. Lexington Mills
Alsop process added N2 gas to flour Presence of N2 caused flour to be adulterated Court held:
Presence of a poison or deleterious substance must be such as may render the food article injurious to health
Ordinarily Injurious
Oyster shell fragments in canned oysters. FDA alleged oysters adulterated b/c contained shell fragments Court held presence of shell fragments not ordinarily injurious to health so product not adulterated. Said: Is fish adulterated because it has bones?
Food Additives
Any substance which is intended to become a component of a food product or which affects a food product Includes substances used for processing, manufacture, packaging, treating, etc. Including irradiation Excludes GRAS substances
Food Additives
Substance intended for use in food Serve a particular functional effect Substances that become a part of food from processing, packaging or food contact surfaces reasonably expected to become part of food
Accidental Additives
Substances which accidentally get into foods are not considered food additives unless:
Example:
Employee knocks box of cleaning solution into vat of food. Is food adulterated? No, not unless P/D or injurious
Food is broad term that includes food components, raw materials and food additives No FDA premarket approval required for foods
Example:
New single-cell protein manufactured by GM If sold in pure form for direct ingestion?
Economic Adulteration
Food processed or manufactured in such a way as to make it appear to be better or of greater value than it is Includes:
Per Se Adulteration
May render injurious Ordinarily renders injurious Unsafe within meaning of. As necessary for public health Flourine or Monochloroacetic acid in beer Quantity has no legal significance
Filthy/Putrid/Decomposed
Food is adulterated if consists in whole or in part of filthy, putrid or decomposed substances or if otherwise unfit for food Products of diseased animals (died otherwise than by slaughter) Protects aesthetics and sensitivities of consumers so contamination need not be visible
All foods contains come filth so FDA sets tolerances for filth in foods called Defect
Action Levels
De Minimis quantities
Otherwise unfit
Insanitary conditions
Adulteration Summary
Adulteration is defined in terms of health, potential for harm and reduction in economic value Standard is the measure of harm
Misbranding
Misbranding
Purpose of labeling:
Inform the consumer about the product Induce the consumer to buy the product
Prevent fraud, deception or misleading statements Require disclosure of information necessary for consumer to make informed decision
Misbranding
Regulation of labeling concerning the presence or absence of specific attributes of a food product has great potential impact on food market Misbranding = presence or absence of information on label of a product which is false, deceptive or misleading
Label:
A display of written, printed or graphic matter upon the immediate container of any article
Labeling:
All labels and other written material upon any article or any of its containers or wrapper, or
accompanying the product
Label:
A display of written, printed or graphic matter upon the immediate container of any article
Labeling:
All labels and other written material upon any article or any of its containers or wrapper, or
accompanying the product
Misbranding
Ingredient Line
Standards of Identity
FDCA requires FDA to establish a standard of identity for any food To promote honesty and fair dealing
Products Development
Must use name set forth in standard if there is one Appropriately descriptive name if no standard