Food Labeling Updates from the Organizers of the Food & Dietary Supplement Labeling Workshop
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EmailA quick update on recent food labeling announcements by the FDA and USDA. Learn more about food & dietary supplement labeling with our workshop in Orlando, Florida, March 5-6 2024.
The following is a quick roundup of recent announcements in the area of food labeling regulation.
FDA releases the second edition of its “Draft Guidance for Industry Menu Labeling Supplemental Guidance”
This document addresses questions regarding the implementation of nutrition labeling required for foods sold in covered food service establishments and includes examples to aid in compliance. Learn more here.
Additions to List of Bioengineered Foods
A sugarcane variety was added to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) List of Bioengineered Foods under the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS). The sugarcane variety is Bt-insect resistant. AMS also updated the list to amend “squash (summer)” to “squash (summer, coat protein-mediated virus-resistant varieties).” Learn more here.
Front-of-Pack Labeling of Nutrition Information
FDA plans to move ahead with front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) of nutrition information. The FDA heard recommendations from the public in a recent meeting hosted by the Reagan-Udall Foundation. FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf stated that FOPL nutrition labeling is an “aspect of the FDA’s nutrition work and an important priority... Ensuring access to key nutrition information about the foods we eat is an essential aspect of our work that goes to the very core of our mission to protect and promote public health.” Learn more here.
Yogurt Labeling
The new rule on yogurt labeling went into effect January 1, 2024. FDA issued guidance that clarifies the new requirements. The guidance explains how to label nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners in yogurt and how to name yogurt products with different amounts of milkfat. If a yogurt is treated after culturing to inactivate live and active cultures, the name must include “does not contain live and active cultures” or similar wording. 21 CFR § 131.200(f)(1)(ii).
