Health claims - a much debated and heated topic in the food industry - are the focus of a new task force in the US, unveiled by the commissioner for the US Food and Drug Administration, Mark B. McClellan, this week.

Announcing the formation of an internal FDA task force, McClellan claimed that the group will develop scientific guidance for establishing standards for qualified health claims in foods.

The 'FDA Task Force on Consumer Health Information for Better Nutrition' is a key element of a larger initiative announced by the FDA last month to improve consumer awareness about the health benefits of food and dietary supplements.

FDA deputy commissioner Dr. Lester M. Crawford, is the task force's chair, and Joseph A. Levitt, director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), the vice-chair.

"The work of the Consumer Information Task Force is a critical step toward getting better nutrition and health information to the American people as quickly as possible," said Commissioner McClellan. "The task force includes senior FDA managers and the agency's top experts in this field. Their work will be instrumental in providing industry and the public a clear understanding of the types of new health information that will be available regarding foods and dietary supplements."

Principal aims of the task force for the next six months include a report on how the agency should apply the "weight of the evidence" standard established under the consumer health information initiative for qualified health claims on conventional foods and to develop a framework of regulations that will give these principles the force and the effect of law.

In addition the group will examine the most effective way to present scientifically based information to consumers in a truthful and non-misleading manner, and to identify the kinds of information known to be misleading to consumers.

In the UK, a joint venture between consumer organisations, enforcement authorities and industry trade associations - the Joint Health Claims Initiative - has for some time been working on a code of practice for health claims on food. Generic claims so far considered include reduced saturated fat and blood cholesterol, wholegrain foods and heart health, fruit and lung cancer and soya protein and blood cholesterol.