Food industry groups now have more time to weigh in on what “natural” should denote on product labels. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to extend the comment period an additional 90 days to May 10.
Public comments were originally due Feb. 10.
According to The Hill, the agency asked the public to comment in November on whether it should define the term and set guidelines for its use on food products, including those that are genetically engineered or made with genetically engineered ingredients.
The FDA has not yet engaged in a formal rulemaking to define the term “natural.” But the agency has long considered the label to mean that nothing article or synthetic, including color additives, was used in producing the food.