Federal Regulations

Abstract

Health claims for fiber-containing foods have been made for more than a century. Although not described as fiber, removal of fiber-containing portions of wheat from flour was the subject of much debate in the 19th century (Deutsch, 1977). The effects of wheat bran on promoting increased bowel evacuation were also recognized. In the early 1900s health claims for wheat bran were common in breakfast cereal advertisements. In one advertisement, the statements “Put a handful of health in the bread!” and “Doctors are stressing the importance of more bran or ‘bulk’ in the diet” were used to draw attention to bran cereals. This same advertisement included a guarantee that, if eaten according to directions and did not relieve constipation safely, the purchase price would be refunded (McCall’s Magazine, 1927). Identical claims made directly on the package were largely unregulated until after the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of June 25, 1938.