05-16658. Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Record Retention Requirements for the Soy Protein and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Health Claim

AGENCY:

Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (the PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This notice solicits comments on the record retention requirement of the soy protein/coronary heart disease health claim.

DATES:

Submit written or electronic comments on the collection of information by October 24, 2005.

ADDRESSES:

Submit electronic comments on the collection of information to: http://www.fda.gov/​dockets/​ecomments. Submit written comments on the collection of information to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. All comments should be identified with the docket number found in brackets in the heading of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Peggy Robbins, Office of Management Programs (HFA-250), Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 301-827-1223.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor. “Collection of information” is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and includes agency requests or requirements that members of the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)) requires Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this requirement, FDA is publishing notice of the proposed collection of information set forth in this document.

With respect to the following collection of information, FDA invites comments on these topics: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA's functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FDA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information technology.

Record Retention Requirements for the Soy Protein and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Health Claim—21 CFR 101.82(c)(2)(ii)(B) (OMB Control Number 0910-0428)—Extension

Section 403(r)(3)(A)(i) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 343(r)(3)(A)(i)) provides for the use of food label statements characterizing a relationship of any nutrient of the type required to be in the label or labeling of the food to a disease or a health related condition only where that statement meets the requirements of the regulations promulgated by the Secretary to authorize the use of such a health claim. Section 101.82 (21 CFR 101.82) of FDA's regulations authorizes a health claim for food labels about soy protein and the risk of coronary heart disease. To bear the soy protein/coronary heart disease health claim, foods must contain at least 6.25 grams of soy protein per reference amount customarily consumed. Analytical methods for measuring total protein can be used to quantify the amount of soy protein in foods that contain soy as the sole source of protein. However, at the present time there is no validated analytical methodology available to quantify the amount of soy protein in foods that contain other sources of protein. For these latter foods, FDA must rely on information known only to the manufacturer to assess compliance with the requirement that the food contain the qualifying amount of soy protein. Thus, FDA requires manufacturers to have and keep records to substantiate the amount of soy protein in a food that bears the health claim and contains sources of protein other than soy, and to make such records available to appropriate regulatory officials upon written request. The information collected includes nutrient data bases or analyses, recipes or formulations, purchase orders for ingredients, or any other information that reasonably substantiates the ratio of soy protein to total protein.

FDA estimates the burden of this collection of information as follows:

Table 1.—Estimated Annual Recordkeeping Burden¹

21 CFR Section	No. of Recordkeepers	Annual Frequency per Recordkeeping	Total Annual Records	Hours per Record	Total Hours
101.82(c)(2)(ii)(B)	25	1	25	1	25
1 There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of information.

Based upon its experience with the use of health claims, FDA estimates that only about 25 firms would be likely to market products bearing a soy protein/coronary heart disease health claim and that only, perhaps, one of each firm's products might contain nonsoy sources of protein along with soy protein. The records required to be retained by § 101.82(c)(2)(ii)(B) are the records, e.g., the formulation or recipe, that a manufacturer has and maintains as a normal course of its doing business. Thus, the burden to the food manufacturer is that involved in assembling and providing the records to appropriate regulatory officials for review or copying.

Dated: August 17, 2005.

Jeffrey Shuren,

Assistant Commissioner for Policy.