The FDA is extending the two comment periods for the Draft Guidance to Industry for Voluntarily Reducing Sodium.
- The comment period for issues primarily related to the draft short-term (2-year) sodium reduction targets will end on October 17, 2016.
- The comment period for issues primarily related to the draft long-term (10-year) sodium reduction targets will end on December 2, 2016.
The comment period for the draft sodium guidance opened on June 2, 2016, with a Notice of Availability. That notice originally provided a 90-day comment period requesting comments on Issues 1 to 4 (or issues mainly related to the two-year draft targets) by August 31, 2016 and a 150-day comment period for Issues 5 to 8 (mainly on the 10-year targets) by October 31, 2016. An updated Notice of Availability containing the extended comment periods will be published in the Federal Register as soon as possible.
The FDA received eight requests from industry trade associations to extend both comment periods to provide a total of 180 days for comment on the short- and long-term targets and three requests from consumer and public health organizations for the comment period regarding the short-term targets to remain unchanged.