Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Food Labeling; Notification Procedures for Statements on Dietary Supplements

AGENCY:

Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) 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 invites comments on the information collection provisions of the regulation requiring the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of a dietary supplement to notify us that it is marketing a dietary supplement product that bears on its label or in its labeling a statement provided for in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act). The notice also invites comment on a new electronic form that allows manufacturers, packers, and distributors of dietary supplements to notify us via FDA's Unified Registration and Listing System (FURLS).

DATES:

Submit either electronic or written comments on the collection of information by May 10, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments as follows:

Electronic Submissions

Submit electronic comments in the following way:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted electronically, including attachments, to http://www.regulations.gov will be posted to the docket unchanged. Because your comment will be made public, you are solely responsible for ensuring that your comment does not include any confidential information that you or a third party may not wish to be posted, such as medical information, your or anyone else's Social Security number, or confidential business information, such as a manufacturing process. Please note that if you include your name, contact information, or other information that identifies you in the body of your comments, that information will be posted on http://www.regulations.gov.
• If you want to submit a comment with confidential information that you do not wish to be made available to the public, submit the comment as a written/paper submission and in the manner detailed (see “Written/Paper Submissions” and “Instructions”).

Written/Paper Submissions

Submit written/paper submissions as follows:

• Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for written/paper submissions): Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
• For written/paper comments submitted to the Division of Dockets Management, FDA will post your comment, as well as any attachments, except for information submitted, marked and identified, as confidential, if submitted as detailed in “Instructions.”

Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket No. FDA-2009-N-0221 for “Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Food Labeling; Notification Procedures for Statements on Dietary Supplements.” Received comments will be placed in the docket and, except for those submitted as “Confidential Submissions,” publicly viewable at http://www.regulations.gov or at the Division of Dockets Management between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

• Confidential Submissions—To submit a comment with confidential information that you do not wish to be made publicly available, submit your comments only as a written/paper submission. You should submit two copies total. One copy will include the information you claim to be confidential with a heading or cover note that states “THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.” The Agency will review this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in its consideration of comments. The second copy, which will have the claimed confidential information redacted/blacked out, will be available for public viewing and posted on http://www.regulations.gov. Submit both copies to the Division of Dockets Management. If you do not wish your name and contact information to be made publicly available, you can provide this information on the cover sheet and not in the body of your comments and you must identify this information as “confidential.” Any information marked as “confidential” will not be disclosed except in accordance with 21 CFR 10.20 and other applicable disclosure law. For more information about FDA's posting of comments to public dockets, see 80 FR 56469, September 18, 2015, or access the information at: http://www.fda.gov/regulatoryinformation/dockets/default.htm.

Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or the electronic and written/paper comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov and insert the docket number, found in brackets in the heading of this document, into the “Search” box and follow the prompts and/or go to the Division of Dockets Management, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

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, we are publishing notice of the proposed collection of information set forth in this document.

With respect to the following collection of information, we invite comments on these topics: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of our functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of our 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.

Food Labeling; Notification Procedures for Statements on Dietary Supplements—21 CFR 101.93

OMB Control Number 0910-0331—Extension

Section 403(r)(6) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 343(r)(6)) and its implementing regulation, 21 CFR 101.93, require that we be notified by the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of a dietary supplement that it is marketing a dietary supplement product that bears on its label or in its labeling a statement provided for in section 403(r)(6) of the FD&C Act. These provisions require that we be notified, with a submission about such statements, no later than 30 days after the first marketing of the dietary supplement. Information that is required in the submission includes: (1) The name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of the dietary supplement product; (2) the text of the statement that is being made; (3) the name of the dietary ingredient or supplement that is the subject of the statement; (4) the name of the dietary supplement (including the brand name); and (5) the signature of a responsible individual or the person who can certify the accuracy of the information presented, and who must certify that the information contained in the notice is complete and accurate, and that the notifying firm has substantiation that the statement is truthful and not misleading.

We have developed an electronic form (Form FDA 3955) that interested persons will be able to use to electronically submit their notifications to FDA via FURLS. Firms that prefer to submit a paper notification in a format of their own choosing will still have the option to do so, however. Form FDA 3955 prompts a respondent to include certain elements in their structure/function claim notification (SFCN) described in § 101.93 in a standard format electronically and helps the respondent organize their SFCN to include only the information needed for our review of the claim. Note that the SFCN, whether electronic or paper, is used for all claims made pursuant to section 403(r)(6) of the FD&C Act, including nutrient deficiency claims and general well-being claims in addition to structure/function claims. The electronic form, and any optional elements that would be prepared as attachments to the form (e.g., label), can be submitted in electronic format via FURLS. Submissions of SFCNs will continue to be allowed in paper format. We use this information to evaluate whether statements made for dietary ingredients or dietary supplements are permissible under section 403(r)(6) of the FD&C Act. Draft screenshots of Form FDA 3955 and instructions are available for comment at http://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/IndustryInfo/ucm485532.htm.

Description of Respondents: Respondents to this collection of information include manufacturers, packers, or distributors of dietary supplements that bear section 403(r)(6) of the FD&C Act statements on their labels or labeling.

We estimate the burden of this collection of information as follows:

We believe that there will be minimal burden on the industry to generate information to meet the notification requirements of section 403(r)(6) of the FD&C Act by submitting information regarding section 403(r)(6) of the FD&C Act statements on labels or in labeling of dietary supplements. We also believe that submission via FURLS will not affect the burden estimates. We are requesting only information that is immediately available to the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of the dietary supplement that bears such a statement on its label or in its labeling. We estimate that, each year, approximately 2,200 firms will submit the information required by section 403(r)(6) of the FD&C Act. This estimate is based on the average number of notification submissions received by us in the preceding 3 years. We estimate that a firm will require 0.75 hours to gather the information needed and prepare a communication to us, for a total of 1,650 hours (2,200 × 0.75).