On October 31, 2000, the Food and Drug Administration responded to the third of four proposed health claims for dietary supplements that were the subject of the infamous “Pearson decision” with a new twist in the health claims arena: a “qualified health claim” approved solely for a dietary supplement, and thus far only for the alleged relationship between omega-3 fatty acids and coronary heart disease (CHD).
The case of Pearson and Shaw v. Shalala challenged FDA’s 1993 decision to deny four heal…