European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 8, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 b the stars and stripes Friday november 8,1991u.s. To standardize food Label proposal targets such words As Low fat Light from wire reports Washington a sweeping new proposals to give shoppers More accurate Ana useful food labels should save thousands of lives by promoting More healthful diets Healths and human services Secretary Louis w. Sullivan said wednesday. But Industry groups while generally supportive of the proposals that would standardize the Way foods and their nutritional contents Are defined said the new labels will Cost billions of dollars More to implement than the Federal government is estimating. A apart from stopping the use of tobacco and abuse of alcohol the most important action americans can take to improve their health and reduce their Chance of contracting disease is to choose a proper diet a Sullivan said. To that end the government is proposing to revamp the confusing conflicting and often misleading claims on food labels. More than 250,000 labels would be affected starting in May 1993. Sullivan said that 39,000 lives would be saved during the next 20 years if the proposals a the most comprehensive in . History a a Are adopted. Officials estimate savings of More than $100 billion in medical costs during the same period. The Fra also estimates the Cost of changing the labels will be about $1.7 billion Over 20 years a figure that was attacked by Industry groups As too Low. The rules would require strict definitions for such commonly used Labelling terms As a flow calorie a a Light a a flow fat a a flow in cholesterol and  a flow fat a for example would mean less than 3 Grams of fat per serving. A flow calories would mean 40 calories administration commissioner David Kessler right and health and human services Secretary Louis w. Sullivan announce sweeping changes in food labels that will affect virtually All foods. Or fewer per serving. The rules also define a Standard serving for each food. Under the new proposals the nutrient Chart that manufacturers now voluntarily put on about 60 percent of All packaged foods will become mandatory on All products regulated by the Fra. The department of agriculture which oversees meat and poultry sales is issuing similar Label proposals for those foods. The Federal agencies want the nutrition charts to give data on total calories calories derived from fat total fat saturated fat cholesterol total carbohydrates Complex carbohydrates sugars dietary fiber protein sodium vitamins a and a Calcium and Iron. The proposed new labels probably will be changed a bit before they Are finalized next year at this time. By May 8, 1993, companies that have not changed their labels to fit the Law could have products seized and be forced by Federal court to Stop Selling until they comply with the regulations. Effort to lift overseas abortion ban stymied by Chuck Al nah. It Quot by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a a three year old Effort to allow abortions in overseas military medical facilities has suffered yet another defeat in Congress sources said thursday. The proposal sponsored by rep. Les Aucoin d-ore., would reverse a 1988 Pentagon decision discontinuing abortions in overseas facilities at patient expense which had been allowed since the late 1970s. The proposal was dropped late wednesday from the final version of the fiscal 1992 defense authorization Bill but its still technically alive because it is also contained in the Senate version of the defense appropriations Bill sponsored by sen. Frank r. Lau Tenberg . The House version of the defense appropriations Bill does not contain the abortion proposal which sets the stage for a repeat of the fight that has just ended Over including it in the final version of the authorization Bill. House and Senate conferees will take up the abortion provision once again when they meet next week to begin fashioning a final version of the defense appropriations Bill. Under the two tier defense funding process the armed services committees authorize spending for various programs. Then the appropriations committees actually provide the Money. A a we re going to do All we can during the appropriations conference next week to try and push this provision through a said an aide to Aucoin. In the defense authorization Bill conference the proposal fell victim to political infighting that included a vow from president Bush to veto the entire Bill if that single provision was included sources said. After sen. Sam Nunn d-ga., chairman of the Senate armed services committee voiced Strong opposition to forcing a showdown with Bush Over the abortion provision the House leadership met late wednesday and agreed to drop it from the Bill. House speaker Tom Foley d-wash., and House on the b-2 bomber which denies the administrations fiscal 1992 request for four More planes at roughly $865 million each but keeps the program open while More tests Are done on the aircraft a  a Nunn did no to want to take a Chance on reopening things that had already been settled just for the Sake of the abortion provision a the staffer said. Other sources said Aspin also has been reluctant to let the abortion Issue hold up the entire Bill. Armed services committee chairman Les Aspin d abortion Issue hold up wis., were among those at the meeting an aide to about 15 to 20 abortions a year had been per Filev said Formo. R Foley said. Aucoin a initiative was narrowly approved in May As part of the House version of the fiscal 1992 defense authorization Bill a the first time either chamber had approved it since he first proposed it in 1989. But it was later rejected by an equally slim margin in the Senate where it was sponsored by sen. Timothy e. Wirth d-colo., during consideration of the Senate version of the Bill. House and Senate conferees who met to resolve differences in their respective versions of the Bill wrestled with the Issue at length said a House armed services committee staffer. Most of the conferees including sen. John Glenn a Ohio the chairman of the Senate armed services manpower subcommittee wanted to include the abortion provision in the Bill the staffer said. But Nunn a would not hear of it a the staffer said. A it was excluded because Nunn Felt that if the president vetoed the Bill Over the abortion provision a lot of other issues that have already been decided might be revisited in the ensuing debate a the staffer said. For example Nunn is pleased with the Bill a stance formed in overseas facilities prior to the 1988 change which was made unilaterally by the Reagan administration with no congressional input. The Issue has sparked fiery debate each time it has been brought up in Congress. Advocates say the policy leaves women with two equally unattractive choices a seek off base abortions in nations where medical care is Well below . Standards or spend considerable time and expense to travel to the United states. Aucoin said he is not advocating a Radical new policy but Only wants to extend to military women overseas the same rights of women in the United states under the Roe is. Wade supreme court Deci-1988 military itself had in place prior to lawmakers who oppose reversing the policy have said such a move would turn overseas military medical facilities into a abortion  opponents also have said that while women would pay for the operations they would be done in taxpayer funded facilities by military doctors and thus would violate the spirit if not the letter of current Laws prohibiting Federal funding for abortions