In 74 Fed. Reg. 42676 (Aug. 24, 2009), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced an opportunity for public comment on a proposed voluntary Internet survey to assess barriers to food label use by consumers. Analyses or previous surveys have shown a sharp decline in food label use between 1994 and 2002, especially among consumers younger than 35 years old. The purpose of this survey is to learn the reasons for this decline in label usage. “The study goals are to: (1) identify attitudes and beliefs among consumers toward health, diet and label usage; (2) determine relationships between those attitudes and beliefs, as well as demographics, with food label use and non-use; and (3) evaluate the relative importance of these attitudes between consumers of various age groups to determine whether barriers to label use differ between younger consumers and older consumers.” Comments on the proposed information collection should be submitted by October 23, 2009.
