H.R. 8412: To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, to revise certain regulations related to infant and toddler beverages, and for other purposes.

This bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, to make changes to existing regulations regarding beverages intended for infants and toddlers. Here are the main points of the bill:

Prohibitions and Labeling Requirements

The Secretary must revise certain parts of the Code of Federal Regulations to implement the following:

• Infant Formula Definition: It will be prohibited for any beverage in powder or liquid form, excluding infant formula, to be labeled as "infant formula" or to use the term "formula" combined with other terms, for products marketed to children over 12 months old.
• Milk-Based Beverages for 12-36 Months: Any powdered or liquid milk-based beverage claiming to be suitable for children aged 12 to 36 months must:
• Be labeled with a descriptive term like "milk-based drink".
• If the drink includes added sugars, nonnutritive sweeteners, or flavorings, it must include qualifiers such as "sweetened" or "flavored".
• Nondairy Beverages for 12-36 Months: Similar rules will apply to nondairy beverages intended for this age group:
• They must be named with a description related to the source of protein, like "soy-based drink powder for 12–36 month olds".
• Qualifying terms for added sugars or flavorings must be included in the product name.
• Disclaimers: Any labeling for these beverages must contain a disclaimer warning against giving the product to infants and stating that such beverages are not essential for a healthy diet for children under 24 months. The disclaimer should also specify that daily intake recommendations, such as "one cup a day," are not applicable.

Regulatory Process

• The Secretary must issue proposed regulations within one year after the bill becomes law.
• Final regulations must be established within two years of enactment.
• If the Secretary does not meet the deadline for issuing final regulations, the proposed regulations will automatically become final by that deadline.

Effective Date

The updates to regulations will take effect three years after the enactment of this bill.

Relevant Companies

• SYCM - If this bill affects labeling practices significantly, companies producing infant and toddler beverages may need to revise their marketing and product naming, impacting their product lines and sales strategies.
• PBHC - This bill could influence how their dairy and non-dairy beverages are marketed to parents of toddlers, potentially requiring changes in packaging and ingredient labeling.