WASHINGTON, March 28, 2003 - The National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) submitted a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 26, 2003 requesting the FDA inspect members of the U.S. Coalition on Nutritional Ingredients' (U.S. Coalition) facilities based on federal law violation grounds. NFFC requests these FDA inspections based on the Coalition's representation-companies that knowingly use Milk Protein Concentrate (MPC) as an illegal ingredient in consumers' food.

FDA already issued two U.S. Coalition members (Kraft Foods North America, Inc. and Lactroprot USA) warning letters in late 2002. Both letters stated the use of Milk Protein Concentrate in products labeled "pasteurized processed cheese food" constitutes a violation of Section 430(g)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. According to both warning letters, this constitutes a federal violation because "the products are represented as foods for which standards of identity have been prescribed by regulation and the use of Milk Protein Concentrate in these products does not conform to the standards."

The U.S. Coalition on Nutritional Ingredients currently identifies itself as: "Associations, taxpayer and consumer groups, and companies and their employees who use these highly specialized ingredients to make countless food, medical, cosmetic, animal feed, and industrial products, including sports foods and drinks, coffee creamers, snack foods, nutrition bars, cereals, sauces and gravies, and geriatric and infant formulas."

On March 6, 2003, Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI) and Rep. Don Sherwood (R-PA) introduced legislation, with a bipartisan coalition of 50 congressional members, to close a tariff loophole that allows foreign-made Milk Protein Concentrates (MPCs) into the country virtually tariff-free.

According to a letter the U.S. Coalition on Nutritional Ingredients sent to the 108th Congress on March 6, 2003 regarding this legislation, "it and its members urge the House and Senate to reject this legislation to ensure consumers have continued, affordable access to the many, many products made from nutritional, highly specialized MPC, casein, and caseinates."

A shift in representation is important to mention; before two U.S. Coalition members received warning letters from FDA, it presented itself as: "a coalition including associations, taxpayer/consumer groups and companies and their employees who use MPC and casein in the products they manufacture for the use of millions of Americans."