Health Claims

Health Claims

Product claims about the relationship between a nutrient or food
and the risk of a disease will be limited to specific types of
claims in seven areas. For example, if a product makes a health
claim related to the link between calcium and osteoporosis, the
product must contain at least 200 milligrams of calcium and must be
a form of calcium that can be absorbed easily by the body. The
claims must be stated so that the consumer can understand the
relationship between the nutrient and the disease.

For more information, contact:

Food and Drug Administration
Consumer Affairs and Information
Department of Health and Human Services
5600 Fishers Lane
Room 16-85 (HFE-88)
Rockville, MD 20857
(301) 443-3170

Department of Agriculture
Human Nutrition Information Service
Federal Building
Rooms 360 and 364
6505 Belcrest Road
Hyattsville, MD 20782
(301) 436-8617

Introducing '%Daily Value'
The Key to Healthy Eating

There's a new nutrition tool called "%Daily Value" that allows you
to easily determine whether a food contributes a lot or a little of
a particular nutrient. A high percentage means the food contains
a lot of a nutrient. A low percentage means it contains a little.
You don't have to worry about doing
calculations.

Let's say you're trying to eat less fat. You come across two
different brands of frozen mixed vegetables in sauce. One of the
packages lists 5% as the %Daily Value for total fat. The other
package gives 15%. Which should you choose? The one with 5%
because five is a significantly lower number than 15.

The following is an example of the information found in a
Nutrition Facts label:

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1/2 cup (114g)
Servings Per Container 4

Amount per Serving
Calories 90 Calories from Fat 30

%Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 30mg 10%
Sodium 660mg 28%
Total Carbohydrate 31g 10%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Sugars 5g
Protein 5g

Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 15% Iron 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.



TIP: If the %Daily Value for a nutrient is 5% or less, that means
the food is low in that nutrient.




Part II

Consumer Assistance Directory

Corporate Consumer contacts

This section will help you resolve a complaint about a service or
product. First, be sure to go back to the place where you bought
the product or service. Try to resolve the complaint with the
seller. If that does not work, the next step is to write or call
the company's headquarters.

This section lists the names and addresses of more than 550
corporate headquarters, and in many cases, the name of the person
to contact. Many listings also include toll free "800" numbers.
Unless otherwise noted, all "800" numbers are toll free and can be
used anywhere in the continental United States. Many
companies have Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDDs). All
TDD and "800" numbers are in bold type.

In some cases, you will see a company name or brand name listed
with the instructions to see another company listed elsewhere in
this section, for example, "Admiral, see Maycor." This means that
questions about Admiral products should be directed to the consumer
contact at Maycor because Maycor handles complaints for the Admiral
brand.

If you do not find the product name in this section, check the
product label or warranty for the name and address of the
manufacturer. Public libraries also have information that might be
helpful. The Standard & Poor's Register of Corporations, Directors
and Executives, Trade Names Directory, Standard
Directory of Advertisers, and Dun & Bradstreet Directory are four
sources that list information about most firms. If you cannot find
the name of the manufacturer, the thomas Register of
American Manufacturers lists the manufacturers of thousands of
products.

Remember, to save time, first take your complaint back to where you
bought the product. If you contact the company's
headquarters first, the consumer contact probably will direct you
back to the local store where you made the purchase


Ms. Anna Wright
Administrator
AAMCO Transmissions, Inc.
One Presidential Boulevard
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004-9990
(215) 668-2900
1 (800) 523-0401 (toll free)

Consumer Affairs
AETNA Life and Casualty
151 Farmington Avenue
Hartford, CT 06156
(203) 273-0123
1 (800) US-AETNA (toll free outside CT)

AJAY Leisure Products
1501 East Wisconsin Street
Delavan, WI 53115
(414) 728-5521
1 (800) 558-3276 (toll free)

Ms. Susan Mach
Director of Consumer Affairs
AT&T
295 North Maple Avenue
Room 2334F2
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
(908) 221-5311

Customer Service
Ace Hardware Corporation
2200 Kensington Court
Oak Brook, IL 60521
(708) 990-6600