September 20, 2023

Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002 Dear Commissioner Califf and Deputy Commissioner Jones: I urge you to grant the Citizen Petition filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) on April 25, 2023 (FDA-2023-P-1639), which requests that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issue guidance to industry for voluntary t. [...] The FDA should issue guidance for the food and beverage industry that provides short- term (2.5-year), mid-term (5-year), and long-term (10-year) targets for added sugars content in commercially processed foods and drinks from categories that contribute the most to overall added sugars in the American diet. [...] The long-term goal of the targets should be to bring Americans’ consumption of added sugars to less than 10 percent of calories, and the FDA should monitor industry’s progress toward achieving the targets. [...] I urge the FDA to grant this petition and take an important step towards realizing the Administration’s commitment to reducing added sugars and addressing the crisis of diet-related diseases. [...] Soft drinks and sweetened beverages and the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.