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If the dispute is not resolved by tomorrow, earlier draft proposals released by the FDA a year ago are scheduled to take effect. Although somewhat different, those proposals are in many ways tougher than the stalled final regulations.

Officials on both sides said yesterday that they believed that new regulations could still be issued within several weeks if the conflicts are settled. But FDA officials, aware that the incoming Clinton administration will almost certainly back strong pro-consumer label regulations, are not expected to back down.