[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 22 (Thursday, February 1, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3714-3715]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-1858]



=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Commission on Dietary Supplement Labels: Announcement of 
Appointment; Notice of Meeting; Opportunity to Provide Comments

AGENCY: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is (a) 
announcing the appointment of the Commission on Dietary Supplement 
Labels, (b) providing notice of the first meeting of the Commission 
pending approval of the Commission's Charter, (c) receipt of 
information on current Department of Health and Human Services 
activities related to dietary supplements, and (d) soliciting oral and 
written comments.


[[Page 3715]]

DATES: (1) The Commission will meet February 16, 1996, from 8:30 a.m. 
to 4:30 p.m. E.S.T. at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street 
NW., Washington, DC 20008. (2) Written comments on the scope and intent 
of the Commission's objectives may be submitted up to 5 p.m. E.S.T. on 
June 30, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kenneth D. Fisher, Ph.D., Executive Director, Commission on Dietary 
Supplement Labels, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 
Room 738G, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Ave. SW., 
Washington, DC 20201, (202) 205-5968.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Commission on Dietary Supplement Labels

    The President announced his intent to appoint the following seven 
persons as members of the Commission on October 2, 1995. The Commission 
is chaired by Malden Nesheim, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. 
Other members of the Commission are Annette Dickenson, Council for 
Responsible Nutrition, Washington, DC; Norman R. Farnsworth, University 
of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Margaret Gilhooley, Seton 
Hall University, School of Law, Newark, New Jersey; Shiriki Kumanyika, 
Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; Robert 
McCaleb, Herb Research Foundation, Boulder, Colorado; and Anthony 
Podesta, Podesta Associates, Washington, DC.

Commission's Task

    Public Law 103-417, Section 12, authorizes the establishment of a 
Commission on Dietary Supplement Labels whose seven members are 
appointed by the President. The appointments to the Commission by the 
President and the establishment of the Commission by the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services reflect the commitment of the President and 
the Secretary to the development of a sound and consistent regulatory 
policy on labeling of dietary supplements.
    The Commission is charged with conducting a study and providing 
recommendations for regulation of label claims and statements for 
dietary supplements, including the use of supplemental literature in 
connection with their sale and, in addition, procedures for evaluation 
of label claims. The Commission is expected to evaluate how best to 
provide truthful, scientifically valid, and nonmisleading information 
to consumers in order that they make informed health care choices for 
themselves and their families. The Commission's study report may 
include recommendations on legislation, if appropriate and necessary.

Announcement of Meeting

    The Commission's first meeting will be February 16, 1996, 8:30 a.m. 
to 4:30 p.m. E.S.T. The meeting will be held at the Omni Shoreham 
Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, NW., Washington, DC 20008. The agenda will 
include (a) orientation, (b) discussion of the Commission's charge, (c) 
receipt of information on current Department of Health and Human 
Services activities related to dietary supplements, and (d) oral 
comments from interested parties and the general public.

Public Participation at Meeting

    The meeting is open to the public. However, space is limited. Both 
oral and written comments from the public will be accepted, but oral 
comments at the meeting will be limited to a maximum of five minutes 
per presenter; thus, organizations and persons that wish to make their 
views known to the Commission should use the time for oral presentation 
to summarize their written comments. Members of the Commission may wish 
to question the presenters following each oral presentation. Please 
request the opportunity to present oral comments in writing and provide 
nine (9) copies of the written comments from which the oral 
presentation is abstracted to the address above by February 9, 1996. If 
you will require a sign language interpreter, please call Sandra 
Saunders (202) 260-0375 by 4:30 p.m. E.S.T. on February 9, 1996.

Written Comments

    By this notice, the Commission is soliciting submission of written 
comments, views, information and data pertinent to Commission's task. 
Comments should be sent to Kenneth D. Fisher, Executive Director of the 
Commission at the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 
Room 738G, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Ave., SW., 
Washington, DC 20201, by 5 p.m. E.S.T. on June 30, 1996.
Claude Earl Fox,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, (Disease Prevention and Health 
Promotion), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
[FR Doc. 96-1858 Filed 1-31-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-17-M