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For 34 years, the Food Label Conference has been bringing together industry and government experts in a collaborative exchange of ideas and best practices. Our hope is that as we navigate these unprecedented times, our days together will be a source of learning, dialog and exploration that give you the best this industry has to offer in order to be productive all year long!
Questions? Visit us at Registration or email
conference@primelabel.com.
Conference Schedule
We are excited to welcome you to the Food Label Conference!
Please refer to these tabs for more information about this year's schedule. Note:
Questions? Visit us at registration or email us at conference@primelabel.com.
Add-On Training - Sunday, April 24th
* Reservations required & additional fees apply - check at Registration for availability
Main Conference Day 1 - Monday, April 25th
* Reservations required & additional fees apply - check at Registration for availability
Main Conference Day 2 - Tuesday, April 26th
* Limited seating - reservations required - check at Registration for availability
Add-On Training - Wednesday, April 27th
* Reservations required & additional fees apply - check at Registration for availability
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Click on the tabs to open detailed information for each session.
Monday April 25
General Session
The General Session will take place from 9 am - 2:15 pm
Join us in the Constitution Ballroom.
Questions? Visit us at registration or email us at conference@primelabel.com.
Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2021
Panel: Jesse Zuehlke, Prime Label Consultants
Eva Greenthal, Senior Science Policy Associate, Center for Science in the Public Interest
Katy Enright, Mars-Wrigley
FLMA, now under review with the US House of Representatives, would require FDA to mandate Front of Pack nutrition labeling; define natural, healthy, and other claims; update Standards of Identity and allergens, and require manufacturers to submit all product information to a new public database. Hear why this is important, how consumers will benefit, and what to expect from this important new bill.
FDA Nutrition Innovation Strategy & Sodium Reduction Goals
Allie Graham, Senior Director, Food Policy & Global Regulatory Affairs
Food Directions LLC
In October of 2021 FDA issued Final Guidance for industry on Voluntary Sodium Reduction Goals. This session will provide critical context to fully understanding this FDA initiative, determining what it means to your business, and gaining perspective on the future approach as FDA monitors and evaluates sodium reduction progress and continues to engage with stakeholders.
The FASTER ACT - Mandatory Sesame Allergen Labeling
April Kates, EAS Independent Consultant
EAS Consulting Group, LLC.
Under the FASTER Act, signed into law in April of 2021, sesame is being added to FALCPA as the 9th major food allergen. The new law is effective January 1, 2023. Learn the new labeling requirements for sesame and sesame ingredients, discuss the implementation timeline, and cover best practices for your business as labeling of sesame is adopted.
Sustainability Trends in Food
Sean B. Cash, Associate Professor
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University
Consumer interest in sustainability continues to grow and shape the marketplace for food. Sean Cash, the Bergstrom Foundation Professor and a food economist at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, will discuss the evolving trends in environmental and social sustainability, how companies are communicating these with consumers and how these developments interact with the interests of investors, governments, and industry.
Legal Perspective: Updates and Predictions for the Next Year
Robert Hibbert, Senior Counsel, Wiley Rein LLP
Tony Pavel, Deputy General Counsel - Global Food Law, Perfect Day Foods
Two leading DC legal minds share their perspective on expected regulatory changes, emerging trends and risks, food standard controversies, and marketplace trends and technologies.
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Tuesday April 26
General Session
The General Session will take place from 9am - 12:30pm on Tues., April 26th.
Join us in the Constitution Ballroom.
Questions? Visit us at registration or email us at conference@primelabel.com.
USDA Policy: NFP Reform, Generic Approval, COOL & Other Emerging Issues
Beth A. McKew, Staff Officer
Labeling & Program Delivery Staff, USDA, FSIS, OPPD, LPDS
With significant updates in FSIS policy to generic approval and nutrition label reform, this session will cover recent regulatory changes and share insight on what to expect in the year ahead. Dialog with the Labeling Policy and Delivery Staff for guidance on your most challenging labeling issues.
FSIS Local Inspectors: Labeling Oversight and New Non-Compliance Trends
Melissa Moore, Executive Associate for Regulatory Operations
Office of Field Operations, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA
The Office of Field Operations is responsible for guiding the activity and priorities of USDA local inspectors around the country. Learn more about inspectors role in reviewing labeling and labeling records, and non-compliance trends from the field.
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Best Practices for Claim Substantiation
Brian Sylvester, Covington & Burling LLP
Tracks: FDA, Marketing, Expert
Deciding how to validate, document, and substantiate product claims is critical to ensuring that labels are truthful and not misleading to consumers. This session will address a variety of claims through a framework considering substantiation while covering best practices and legal considerations for determining whether a claim is appropriate.
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Bioengineered Disclosure: Update & Enforcement
John Herlihy, USDA AMS Food Disclosure and Labeling Division
Tracks: FDA, USDA, Expert
For the first time in the US, industry must now disclose the bioengineered (BE) status of foods and ingredients on packages as of January 1 of this year. This session will cover any updates and nuances to the specifics of the new rule, the options for disclosing BE status and plans for USDA enforcement.
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Canadian Labeling
Erin Taraborrelli, NSF International
Tracks: Expert
Understand new Canadian nutrition and ingredient labeling regulations and learn how they differ from labeling in the US, including the new Nutrition Facts Table format, ingredient list changes, and allergen declarations. Discuss the subtleties of formulating products for Canada and some of the special issues that apply. Understand what resources are available to you to ensure your Canadian labels are compliant.
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Child Nutrition (School Lunch) Labeling Overview
Trish Tung-Tayman, USDA Child Nutrition (CN) Labeling Program Office (USDA-AMS, SCCP, SCID, CSB)
Tracks: Nutrition, FDA, USDA, Expert
Discover the ins and outs of Child Nutrition labeling from the administrators themselves. Explore how CN labeling works and its advantages. Learn about the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) quality control program and the CN label application process. Find out where to obtain information and discuss some frequently asked questions.
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FDA Product Trends
Jesse Zuehlke, Prime Label Consultants
Tracks: FDA, Marketing, Expert
Explore regulatory considerations of novel and emerging categories, through discussion of product examples. By examining product labels, this breakout will highlight how claims, product names, and other marketing can be structured in a way that is truthful and not misleading to consumers. Topics will include meat alternatives, sugar and diet claims, substitutes for items with standards of identity, and more.
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Legal Risks: Demand Letters and Litigation Trends
Ivan Wasserman, Amin Talati Wasserman, LLP
Tracks: FDA, Marketing, Expert
Plaintiff litigation and demand letters are becoming one of the primary risks to consider in developing product marketing strategies. Learn how to navigate the shark tank with this discussion of the current litigation landscape, how to best protect your company, and what to do if when your product becomes a target.
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Mandatory COOL Regulation
Shelby Guillen, USDA-AMS Food Disclosure and Labeling Division (FDLD)
Tracks: FDA, USDA, Marketing, Expert
Country of Origin Labeling is managed by the Food Disclosure and Labeling Division of AMS USDA, and required for retail labeling of a range of raw agricultural commodities. Learn how to determine if your products are covered and the labeling requirements, along with common FAQs to help fully implement your labeling strategy.
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Natural Labeling Complexities
Eve Pelonis, Keller and Heckman LLP
Tracks: Marketing, FDA, Expert
Understand the ins and outs of Natural labeling. Explore the differences between FDA and USDA definitions of “Natural”. Discuss the impact on retail, restaurants and customer perception, and explore the pros and cons of this contentious claim.
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NFP Calculations: Serving Sizes, DVs & Rounding Nuances
Fred Mosher & Michelle Lee, Prime Label Consultants
Tracks: Nutrition, FDA, USDA, Expert
Explore the integrity of the Nutrition Panel by understanding the differences between calculated and analytical methods of producing nutrient data. Discuss the various sources of nutrient data and how to apply them to determine serving size and daily values. Understand the nuances of FDA rounding rules. Includes a brief introduction to Prime Label’s EZ FormⓇ food labeling software.
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Nutrition Facts Panel Optimization
Christina Bechtold, Prime Label Consultants
Tracks: Nutrition, FDA, Marketing, Expert
Nutrition Label Reform has upended two decades of NFP/packaged product optimization and revealed new labeling challenges with serving size changes and the new mandatory dual column requirement. Food companies are surveying the landscape and scrambling to re-adjust their nutrition labeling vis-a-vis their competition and their target markets. This case study driven session will illustrate how nutrition labeling has been evolving to mitigate negative impact.
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Organic Labeling Update
Erin Healy, USDA AMS National Organic Program
Tracks: FDA, USDA, Marketing, Expert
Come learn about what’s new with the USDA organic standards, and what the USDA does to both build the organic market and to protect the integrity of the USDA organic seal.
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Q&A on FDA Compliance
Jesse Zuehlke, Prime Label Consultants
Tracks: Nutrition, FDA
Find out the answers to those nagging questions about your FDA labels. From product naming to claims and allergens, bring your specific questions to be answered by a PLC Consultant.
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Q&A on USDA Compliance
Jesse Waller, Cargill Meat Solutions & Celia Yau, Prime Label Consultants
Tracks: Nutrition, USDA
Explore the ins and outs of USDA labeling - such as product names and qualifiers; undefined RACC and nutrient claims; negative, uncured, organic and natural claims. Bring your specific questions on the subtleties of labeling to our industry and PLC experts.
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Structure Function Claims
Mason Weeda, OFW Law
Tracks: Nutrition, Marketing, FDA, Expert
Structure/Function claims are essential to conveying health related benefits of different foods and ingredients to consumers. However, limited regulatory guidance and definitions mean these types of claims require comprehensive scientific support. Learn common mistakes with these types of claims, understand considerations for preparing scientific evidence, and discuss potential litigation risks in this important session.
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Third Party Certifications & Claims
Chandni Sen Sinha, Albertsons Companies|Own Brands
Tracks: Marketing, FDA, USDA, Expert
Consumers are wanting to trust the products that they purchase and so independent validation, in the form of third party certification, is a growing trend in the market. Learn about how third party certification programs work, what consumers are looking for, some of the claims that can be certified, and what common certification criteria looks like.
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USDA Animal Production, Raising & Grading Claims
Amaru Sanchez, Wiley Rein LLP
Tracks: Marketing, USDA, Expert
Discuss the complexity of Animal Production and Breed Raising claims such as Cage-Free Poultry, Free-Range, No Added Hormones or Antibiotics, Humanely Raised, Certified Angus and others. Find out the latest in USDA grading claims.
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USDA Generic Approval
Emily Hendricks, Prime Label Consultants
Tracks: USDA, Expert
Find out the latest enforcement priorities, requirements and best practices for the expanded generic rule. Explore generic eligibility and compliance, and discuss enforcement subtleties with FSIS. Understand what you need to do to keep thorough records and discuss strategies to reduce risk.
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USDA Product Trends
Jesse Waller, Cargill Meat Solutions
Tracks: USDA, Marketing
Dive into the latest product name and claims trends in USDA labeling. Presented in a case study format, this session will facilitate discussion of trends, marketing innovations, and gray areas to be aware of.
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Keeping the best of our last two years' virtual conferences, we will have 'Continuing Conference' sessions to keep you updated on the latest quarterly (June, November, January) throughout the year. Topics are preliminary and may change as new regulatory actions or litigation trends evolve.
June 29, 2022 / 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET
Sam Jockel and Rachel Lowe, Alston & Bird, LLP
With a proliferation of environmental benefit claims on product labeling and advertising, regulators, NGOs, consumer class action attorneys and competitors are taking notice. This session will cover regulatory and litigation developments that impact marketers making these claims and provide insights on how to reduce the risk of challenge.
November 2, 2022 / 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET
Kantha Shelke, Ph.D., CFS, Corvus Blue LLC
Innovative development of new ingredients along with ever-evolving ingredient trends make maintaining a robust regulatory framework even more imperative for evaluating use and compliance in your own food supply chain. This session will address critical considerations for consumer safety, labeling, and marketing claims of plant-based products, cultivated meats, functional ingredients, and precision fermentation, and more…
January 25, 2023 / 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET
Brian P. Sylvester, Covington & Burling LLP
Class action lawsuits continue to be filed against the food and beverage industry at record levels. During this session, we will examine litigation trends from 2022 spanning false labeling and heavy metals to "natural" claims. We will consider the latest on flavor litigation, as well as emerging areas of litigation -- animal welfare and ESG claims.
* sessions subject to change
Click on the tabs to open detailed information for each session.
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FDA Labeling Basics
Wednesday April 27th / 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Tracks: FDA
Instructor: Jesse Zuehlke, PhD, Prime Label Consultants
FDA label requirements can be confusing, and trends change at a fast pace. In addition to stringent content and wording requirements, food labels must also comply with size, color, language, and location rules. Claims are also a moving target with many subtleties in wording and design. Learn the basics of FDA labeling rules and keep up with the latest developments. Our content covers:
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Mexico Labeling Update
Sunday April 24th / 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Tracks: Expert
Instructor: Phil Daniel, TechLink International
Mexico has recently updated their food labeling requirements and all food labels need to be compliant with the latest requirements by 2021. We will discuss this substantial change where every food item will need to be updated to meet the new standard. This seminar covers:
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USDA Labeling Basics
Sunday April 24th / 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Tracks: USDA
Instructor: Taylor Hart, Emily Hendricks & Celia Yau, Prime Label Consultants
USDA labeling can be very confusing with many different sources for rules, policies, and regulations. Stakes can be high with generic labels no longer having FSIS's stamp of approval. In addition, local inspectors are giving added scrutiny to labels, and the risk of Noncompliance Records is greater than ever. Learn the fundamentals of USDA labeling in this seminar. Our seminar covers:
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Label Graphics: from NFPs to Names to Claims & more
Sunday April 24th / 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Tracks: Marketing
Instructors: Brian DiCrescenzo, Topco Associates & Katy Enright, Mars-Wrigley
FDA and USDA food label regulations have stringent content requirements and must comply with size, color, language, and location rules. In addition, the new nutrition facts panel is 5% to 100% larger than existing formats, which creates challenges fitting all label features on a package. In this seminar, learn tips and tricks for graphic design of food labels in the United States:
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Labeling and Marketing Claims
Sunday April 24th / 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Tracks: FDA, USDA, Marketing, Expert
Instructor: Jesse Zuehlke, PhD, Prime Label Consultants
Ensuring compliance and substantiation of new product claims is challenging. Learn best practices from Prime Label’s visibility into emerging market trends, including ingredient claims, clean labeling, animal production claims, certifications, functional foods, and more. Participants will leave with an understanding of a variety of FDA and USDA regulated claims, and how they might apply to their own products. Our seminar covers:
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USDA Generic Labeling
Wednesday April 27th / 8:00 am - 11:00 am
Tracks: USDA
Instructors: Emily Hendricks, Prime Label Consultants
USDA label approval procedures continue to evolve with a new rulemaking for generic label approvals. This seminar will review when you need to go to the USDA for approval and when you can do it yourself. It will also cover top hazards with label review and insider tips and tricks on how to manage the process to get to market faster. The three-hour session will investigate:
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Label Compliance Software (EZ Form Training)
Wednesday April 27th/ 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Tracks: Nutrition, FDA, USDA, Expert
Instructors: Fred Mosher, Prime Label Consultants
Learn how to create compliant labels using EZ Form Software. Practice using easy software wizards to conform to the newest Sesame, Bioengineered and Nutrition labeling regulations. This class will have two tracks - a beginning track for new or prospective EZ Form users and an advanced track for experienced EZ Form users.
The beginner track will cover:
The advanced track will cover:
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School Lunch (CN) Labeling
Wednesday April 27th / 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Tracks: Nutrition, FDA, USDA, Expert
Instructor: Patricia Phillips, Phillips Resources
This is the essential primer to understanding how products qualify (or credit) for school lunch program regulations. Learn the what, how and why of CN Labeling and Product Formulation Statements in this full day seminar. Optional confidential review of your QC Plan. This training is relevant for new employees responsible for CN labeling, or for a company just exploring the school lunch market.
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Click on the tabs to open detailed information for each session.
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Welcome Networking Reception
Sunday April 24, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
ManageArtworks invites you to join Prime Label Consultants in opening the 34th Food Label Conference on Sunday evening for a Welcome Networking Reception. Enjoy a complimentary selection of premium wines and cheese display while you reconnect with old friends and meet new colleagues. The Reception will be held near the Registration Desk, one level down from the main lobby in the Grand Hyatt.
ManageArtworks is a collaborative workflow system engages internal and external users and facilitates rules based regulatory compliance automation. ManageArtworks helps Food companies like Pilgrim’s Pride, Cedar’s Foods release their products faster to the market by helping them roll out error-free, compliant packaging artworks.
50th Anniversary Cocktail Networking Celebration
Monday April 25, 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Join our team for a celebratory cocktail hour as we commemorate Prime Label Consultants' 50th anniversary. Network with conference attendees and the labeling and regulatory teams of PLC's private label retail partners during a complimentary cocktail reception. Join up into small groups afterwards and continue your conversations over dinner.
Hot Breakfast Session: Introducing PLC's Label-IQ
Tuesday April 26, 7:30 am - 8:30 am
Join the Prime Label team as we host a hot breakfast for those who want to learn more about our revolutionary software-enabled regulatory review service, Label-IQ. Label IQ is a technology-enabled service developed to improve the speed and accuracy of label compliance. Leveraging decades of software development, ingredient and nutrition expertise, Label IQ automates time consuming regulatory tasks and checks thousands of datapoints for audits of USDA labels, Nutrition Facts Panels, and BE-derived ingredients. Limited Seating Available.
Slide Deck
Walking Tour of Washington DC *
Sunday April 24, 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Witness Washington's magnificent landmarks in beautiful Springtime. You’ll get up close to a selection of the city’s famous memorials located on the National Mall. There’s something for everyone–neoclassical architecture, modern sculpture, haunting remembrances of war, and historical insights. Along the way, your guide sets the scene for the Federal City’s original plans to memorialize its national heroes and how they’ve evolved with time. The tour includes about 2 hours of walking with a Washington Walks guide. Tickets are limited.
Stop by the registration desk to add this networking opportunity to your registration.
Kennedy Center's "Shear Madness" *
Monday April 25, 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
See Shear Madness, the second longest-running play in the history of American Theater, at the renown Kennedy Center. Shear Madness is an interactive comedy by Paul Pörtner. Set in present-day Georgetown, this comedy engages locals and visitors alike as armchair detectives to help solve the scissor-stabbing murder of a famed concert pianist who lives above the Shear Madness unisex hairstyling salon. Arrive early to tour the beautiful Hall of Nations or Hall of States or to dine at the Roof Terrace Restaurant. Tickets are limited. View the Kennedy Center's vaccination and mask policy HERE.
Stop by the registration desk to add this networking opportunity to your registration.
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