BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND FIREARMS UPDATE (3/21/00)
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) has announced hearings will be held to gather public comments on the use of health claims and other health-related statements in the labeling and advertising of alcoholic beverages.
BACKGROUND
In 1999, BATF approved petitions to allow to new statements to be put on wine labels:
1) "The proud people who made this wine encourage you
to consult your family doctor about the health
effects of wine consumption"
and,
2) "To learn about the health effects of wine
consumption, send for the Federal Government's
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Center for
Nutrition Policy and Promotion, USDA, 1120 20th
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 or visit its
website: www.usda.gov/fcs.cnpp.htm
As a result of the concern of a member of Congress that these
statements might be misleading to consumers, BATF took the step of reopening the issue. Earlier this year, during the period they were accepting written public comments, NCADD submitted a statement urging BATF to rescind its decision.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Submit a request to make an oral presentation at one of the public hearings -- DEADLINE IS APRIL 7, 2000.
| City | Dates |
| Washington, DC | April 25-27 |
| San Francisco, CA | May 23-25 |
| Atlanta, GA | June 27-29 |
| Chicago, IL | July 25-27 |
| Dallas, TX | August 22-24 |
Requests to testify and written comments must be submitted to:
Chief, Regulations Division
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
PO Box 50221
Washington, DC 20091-0221
ATTN: Notice No. 892
Email comments can be sent to: nprm@atfhq.atf.treas.go
Comments must contain your name, mailing address, e-mail address, reference notice 892, and be legible and not more than three pages in length when printed. Request to testify and written comments may also be submitted by fax to 202/927-8602. Fax comments must be legible, reference notice 892, contain a legible written signature, and be no more than three pages long. Individuals unable to attend the public hearings may submit written or e-mail comments on or until September 29, 2000.
If you would like more information about the hearings or the issue, please contact the Public Policy Office via email at
publicpolicy@ncadd.org.
To view the BATF Notice No. 884 on-line, click here.