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AGENCY:

Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish a notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on the collection of information associated with the submission of notifications of health claims or nutrient content claims based on authoritative statements of scientific bodies of the U.S. Government.

DATES:

Submit written or electronic comments on the collection of information by May 28, 2002.

ADDRESSES:

Submit electronic comments on the collection of information to http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/​scripts/​oc/​dockets/​edockethome.cfm. Submit written comments on the collection of information to the Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. All comments should be identified with the docket number found in brackets in the heading of this document.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Peggy Schlosburg, Office of Information Resources Management (HFA-250), Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 301-827-1223.

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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. “Collection of information” is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and includes agency requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, FDA is publishing notice of the proposed extension of existing collection of information set forth in this document.

With respect to the following collection of information, FDA invites comments on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary Start Printed Page 13787for the proper performance of FDA's functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FDA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information technology.

Guidance for Industry: Notification of a Health Claim or Nutrient Content Claim Based on an Authoritative Statement of a Scientific Body (OMB Control No. 0910-0374)—Extension

Section 403(r)(2)(G) and (r)(3)(C) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the act) (21 U.S.C. 343(r)(2)(G) and (r)(3)(C)), as amended by the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA), provides that a food producer may market a food product whose label bears a nutrient content claim or a health claim that is based on an authoritative statement of a scientific body of the U.S. Government or the National Academy of Sciences. Under these sections of the act, a food producer that intends to use such a claim must submit a notification of its intention to use the claim 120 days before it begins marketing the product bearing the claim. In the Federal Register of June 11, 1998 (63 FR 32102), FDA announced the availability of a guidance entitled “Guidance for Industry: Notification of a Health Claim or Nutrient Content Claim Based on an Authoritative Statement of a Scientific Body.” The guidance provides the agency's interpretation of terms central to the submission of a notification and the agency's views on the information that should be included in the notification. The agency believes that the guidance will enable food producers to meet the criteria for notifications that are established in section 403(r)(2)(G) and (r)(3)(C) of the act. In addition to the information specifically required by the act to be in such notifications, the guidance states that the notifications should also contain information on analytical methodology for the nutrient that is the subject of a claim based on an authoritative statement. FDA intends to review the notifications it receives to ensure that they comply with the criteria established for them by the act.

FDA estimates the burden of this collection of information as follows:

These estimates are based on FDA's experience with health claims and nutrient content claims and with other similar notification procedures that fall under its jurisdiction. Because the claims are based on authoritative statements of certain scientific bodies of the Federal Government or the National Academy of Sciences or one of its subdivisions, FDA believes that the information submitted with a notification will either be provided as part of the authoritative statement or readily available as part of the scientific literature to firms wishing to make claims. Presentation of a supporting bibliography and a brief balanced account or analysis of this literature should be fairly straightforward.

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