According to the FDA, the cancer-protection bottom line is maybe for tomatoes and tomato sauce with prostate cancer and probably not for pancreatic, ovarian, and gastric cancer. That said, the FDA this week said food companies can claim cancer-fighting benefits for tomatoes and tomato sauce in ads and on labels.
On the other hand, the agency ruled that companies selling the tomato-based dietary supplement lycopene can't claim any cancer benefits for their products.
The agency's "partial denial" letters were greeted with joy by a consortium of tomato-products companies, including H.J. Heinz of Pittsburgh, and with anger by a San Diego supplement marketer that had sought approval for wide-ranging claims of lycopene benefits.
F. Kerr Dow, Ph.D., vice president and chief technical officer for Heinz, said the company was "very pleased that we finally got the FDA to come out and acknowledge the link" between tomatoes and tomato sauce and reduction of prostate cancer risk.
But Dr. Dow said in an interview the language of the FDA ruling was "pretty complicated and not very inspiring" and may not wind up on product labels for his company's tomato sauce in the near future.
Over the signature of Barbara Schneeman, Ph.D., director of the FDA's Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements, the agency ruled:
- For prostate cancer, there is "very limited and preliminary scientific research (that) suggests that eating one-half to one cup of tomatoes and/or tomato sauce a week may reduce the risk of prostate cancer." The agency concluded "there is little scientific evidence supporting this claim."
- For gastric cancer, the FDA said it's "unlikely that tomatoes reduce the risk."
- It's "highly uncertain" that tomato sauce reduces the risk ovarian cancer.
- And it's "highly unlikely that tomatoes reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer," the FDA said.
The FDA also ruled there is "no credible evidence" that lycopene, either as a food ingredient, a component of food, or a dietary supplement, reduces the risk of any of the four cancers.
The rulings came after two years of investigation into two petitions for the right to make health claims on product labels and in advertising -- one from the Lycopene Health Claim Coalition (which includes Heinz) and one from American Longevity Inc. of San Diego.
The San Diego company said the FDA ruling on lycopene "misleads the American consumer" and vowed to sue the agency for violating its First Amendment rights to free speech.
"The American public is entitled to the whole truth and we will do all we can to prevent FDA from keeping this scientific information from the American people," said Steve Wallach, the company's general manager, in a news release.
Despite the weakness of the claims the companies are allowed to make, Dr. Dow said the ruling means the "government is admitting that there is meaningful research out there."
"This helps raise consumer awareness that tomatoes are healthy," he said.
But Marion Nestle, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition at New York University and the author of several books on the politics of food, said the consumer is unlikely to understand the complete picture.
"The general public believes that if a health claim is on the label the government backs that up," Dr. Nestle said in an interview. "This sells food products, no question."
She said this week's rulings came after years of de-regulation and legislative changes that have hampered the FDA's ability to regulate what claims are made about the health benefits of food.
If American Longevity sues the agency, Dr. Nestle said "they're likely to win, because the courts are increasingly interpreting advertising speech as something that's covered by the First Amendment."
In the face of such legal challenges, Dr. Nestle said, "the FDA began allowing qualified health claims that are increasingly ridiculous and I would say this one is the height of ridiculous."
An FDA official, speaking on background, said: "We basically just look at the science and this is where we ended up."
The FDA official said the qualified health claims mechanism allows consumers to judge the level of science that supports such a claim.
Although Dr Dow said Heinz has no plans to put the health claim on the label of its tomato sauce, he said the company would use the ruling to communicate with consumers.
Dr. Nestle said she expects to see full-page ads shortly touting the new health claims, "or they'll put posters up saying pizza is the biggest source of tomato sauce in the American diet."
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Lycopene is also listed in a number of multi-vitamins for health affects, so why can't others get on with that as well?
It'd be awesome to see pizza as a health food though.
Give me a better excuse to eat it then saying there are veggies on top. 
Seriously though, if it is labled health food, there should be also added awareness to the calories and fat in pizza. It tastes so good, but it's not the best for you.
yeah ! finally l can eat pizza without the guilt! 