FDA Opens Potassium Chloride Labeling Docket
July 30, 2019
FDA opened a docket in May to allow for comments regarding its draft guidance for industry entitled “The Use of an Alternate Name for Potassium Chloride in Food Labeling.” The guidance was put together in response to the use of potassium chloride in foods in place of traditional salt to decrease the amount of sodium in the food supply.
NMPF will be filing joint comments with the International Dairy Foods Association. These comments will include two key points:
- Cheese should not be included in the voluntary sodium reduction goals. Sodium is an important part of the cheesemaking process that affects the water content and water activity and influences functional characteristics like body and texture.
- The FDA should expand any enforcement discretion to facilitate the use of potassium chloride in standardized foods whose definitions call for “salt” but ensure that the amount of substitution is solely in the discretion of the manufacturer.
Currently, the docket closes in September, and the FDA will issue its final guidelines after reviewing the comments. NMPF will keep watch on this topic and work with FDA as necessary.
Contact: Miquela Hanselman or Clay Detlefsen
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