I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3317 

To direct the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to revise the Federal regulations applicable to the declaration of the trans fat content of a food 

on the label and in the labeling of the food when such content is 

less than 0.5 gram. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 23, 2009 

Mr. ISRAEL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To direct the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to revise 

the Federal regulations applicable to the declaration of 

the trans fat content of a food on the label and in 

the labeling of the food when such content is less than 

0.5 gram. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Trans Fat Truth in 

5 Labeling Act of 2009’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds as follows: 


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HR 3317 IH 

1 (1) The Institute of Medicine of the National 

2 Academies advises the United States Government on 

3 nutritional science for use in public policy and prod4 uct labeling programs. 

5 (2) In 2002, the Institute of Medicine issued di6 etary reference intakes for energy, carbohydrate, 

7 fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino 

8 acids and made recommendations regarding con9 sumption of trans fat. 

10 (3) These recommendations included a state11 ment that ‘‘trans fatty acids are not essential and 

12 provide no known benefit to human health’’. 

13 (4) The Institute of Medicine concluded that 

14 both saturated and trans fats increase levels of LDL 

15 cholesterol and trans fats may also lower levels of 

16 HDL cholesterol. 

17 (5) A 2006 New England Journal of Medicine 

18 scientific review stated that ‘‘from a nutritional 

19 standpoint, the consumption of trans fatty acids re20 sults in considerable potential harm but no apparent 

21 benefit’’. 


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HR 3317 IH 

1 SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF TRANS FAT CONTENT OF LESS 

2 THAN 0.5 GRAM PER SERVING ON THE LABEL 

3 OR IN THE LABELING OF FOOD. 

4 (a) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 6 months after 

5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner 

6 of Food and Drugs shall promulgate a final regulation re7 vising section 101.9(c)(2)(ii), and such other provisions as 

8 may be necessary, of the Code of Federal Regulations to 

9 require that— 

10 (1) if the trans fat content of a serving of a 

11 food is less than 0.5 gram, and 

12 (2) if the trans fat content of a serving of the 

13 food is declared in the nutrition information on the 

14 label or in the labeling of the food, 

15 the trans fat content of a serving of the food shall be ex16 pressed through the use of an asterisk or other notation 

17 stating that the trans fat content of a serving is less than 

18 0.5 gram (instead of expressing the trans fat content as 

19 zero). 

20 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The regulation promulgated 

21 under subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is 

22 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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