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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it will launch an investigation into whether the nutrition claims posted on food packaging violate federal food labeling laws, Reuters reports. The FDA is pursuing the investigation amid complaints that they provide a misleading picture of the health benefits of the particular food product. Noting that "some nutritionists have questioned whether this information is more marketing-oriented than health-oriented," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg contends that "judging from some of the labels that we have seen, we think this is a valid concern." According to Hamburg, some food items that are almost 50 percent sugar display a "Smart Choices" checkmark, while other food packages claim to have a high percentage of the recommended daily vegetable intake, but fail to note that the product also contains 80 percent of the recommended daily fat intake. As part of its investigation, the FDA plans to develop a series of proposed standards that companies must follow when creating nutrition labels for the front of food packaging. According to the New York Times, the proposed rules could be issued within a few months, with plans to release final rules by the end of 2010. In addition, the FDA is expected to explore whether consumers would benefit from a single symbol to be displayed on the front of packages to convey nutritional content. Meanwhile, the Grocery Manufacturers of America, a trade group representing food makers, has said it will fully cooperate with the investigation and help the FDA to determine which types of information are most useful to consumers (Richwine, Reuters, 10/20/09; Neuman, New York Times, 10/20/09 [subscription required]).