BUSINESSWORLD (PHILIPPINES) 05/10/04 - The Philippine coconut industrywants the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to amend itsnutrition labeling regulations so as not to adversely affect shipments ofPhilippine coconut oil and food products.

The United Coconut Associations of the Philippines (UCAP) said the USshould have separate percentage daily values (DVs) for saturated fats andtrans fats because of their significant difference in "composition andphysiological effects" relating to cholesterol and heart disease risks.

The 40-year-old confederation of associations and organizations said anindiscriminate labeling approach will hurt exports of Philippine coconutproducts, which are characterized by saturated fat which do not raise"bad" cholesterol levels.

"An indiscriminate labeling approach [is] a trade barrier inconsistentwith the World Trade Organization Agreement on Technical Barriers toTrade, under which technical requirements must have adequate scientificbasis and should be no more trade restrictive than necessary," the UCAPsaid through counsels Daniel M. Malabonga and Arthur V. Medel in a letterto the FDA dated April 15.

The US FDA aims to come up with food labeling rules and regulations thatare fair, clear and nondiscriminatory as mandated by the NutritionLabeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA). In July 2003, it ruled thateffective Jan. 1, 2006, the amount of trans fatty acids must be indicatedin the nutrition labels of all products. The ruling did not require afootnote on the intake level.

In a 2003 report entitled "Dietary Reference Intakes: Guiding Principlesfor Nutrition Labeling and Fortification," the Institute ofMedicine/National Academy of Sciences recommended that the nutrition factspanel include one numerical value for both saturated fat and trans fat.

The UCAP objected to this.

"While UCAP continues to support FDA's efforts to mandate appropriatelabel disclosures on the health risks arising from trans fats, UCAPsubmits that there should be separate DVs as well as separate footnotesfor saturated fats and trans fats because they differ significantly incomposition and physiological effects.

"Furthermore, not all saturated fats are alike. In light of suchdifferences, it would be misleading to consumers if food labels were tocombine information about both kinds of fat. Indeed, it is inaccurateenough not to distinguish LCTs [long chain saturated triglycerides orfats] and MCTs [medium chain triglycerides, which are found in coconut]among saturated fats. The confusion would be compounded if trans fats wereto be lumped together with saturated fats on the label," it said.

The group commended the FDA for its proposal to provide consumers withadditional information - through a DV and a footnote - that would enablethem to properly limit their intake of trans fats.

"Such caveats about intake levels, however, should not unfairly disregardsignificant differences between trans fats and saturated fats, as well asbetween different types of saturated fats viz MCTs and LCTs, with regardto potential coronary heart disease risks," it added.

The UCAP noted that it is understandable if FDA is hesitant to single outa particular "fat" as more dangerous than others. It stressed, however,that FDA needs to also focus on "good" and "bad" cholesterol, and not juston overall cholesterol level.

The Philippines is the world's largest exporter of coconut oil, accountingfor at least 60% of world trade, with the United States and Europe as thebiggest buyers.

The UCAP earlier said March shipments of the commodity fell to 42,740tons, the lowest monthly total since 2000. March exports were down 52%from a year earlier as lower rainfall hurt harvests.

Coconut is the country's third biggest export earner next to electronicsand garments.

Aside from the cholesterol level, other issues hounding coconut productinclude the alleged high level of aflatoxin in Philippine copra.

This, the government earlier warned, may result in reduced demand from theEuropean Union, which buys about 47% of Philippine coconut productexports.