Welcome to the New Year and January's Label Alert! This month there's news on the new Dietary Guidelines, FDA & USDA policy initiatives, and FDA & FTC enforcement actions ...
And to celebrate the New Year, PLC is offering Label Alert subscribers an Early Bird discount of $200 off registration to the 33rd Annual Food Label Conference. Due to the pandemic, this year's conference will be hosted virtually, with 2 days of Main Conference sessions June 7 - 8, followed by 10 monthly topical sessions to keep you up-to-date throughout the year.
So settle into 2021, and catch up on the latest industry news with Label Alert.
Dietary Guidelines Published Without Changes to Added Sugars or Alcohol Recommendations
This year's Dietary Guidelines for Americans was published with a pretty significant footnote. While the scientific report the guidelines were based on recommended significant decreases in the amount of added sugars and alcoholic beverages that should be consumed as part of a healthy diet, those reductions were not included in the final guidelines.
The FDA is Quietly Rolling Back Decades-old Regulations
Just before Christmas, former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chief Scott Gottlieb went on Twitter to celebrate a regulation rollback on commercially made cherry pies that would, in his words, make the American people "free [to] add extra fruit, sugar, and make the crust especially thick." Days later, and in a similar move, the FDA announced it wanted to revoke the standards of identity for the manufacture of French dressing, which require the condiment to be made a specific way.
FDA Says Whole Foods Market Repeatedly Failed to Properly Label Foods With Allergens
Whole Foods Market repeatedly failed to properly label foods containing major allergens that were sold under the store's brand name over the past year, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday in a warning letter it sent to the chain and posted publicly.
USDA Partially Grants CSPI Request for Changes to Nitrates/Nitrites Labeling on Meat Products
The USDA is proposing to update rules allowing firms using celery salt or other natural sources of nitrates or nitrites, to make the claims ‘No Nitrate or Nitrite Added’ on labels (something they're not allowed to do if they use synthetic nitrites/nitrates) in response to a petition from the CSPI and Consumer Reports.
Guidance for Industry: The Use of an Alternate Name for Potassium Chloride in Food Labeling
The purpose of this guidance is to advise food manufacturers of our intent to exercise enforcement discretion for declaration of the name “potassium salt” in the ingredient statement on food labels as an alternative to the common or usual name “potassium chloride.”
The Federal Trade Commission unveiled an enforcement action ... against six sellers of CBD products that it alleges have been making unsubstantiated disease treatment claims. FTC has levied more than $246,000 in fines in the cases.
This year's conference will feature two days of Main Conference sessions June 7-8, followed by the Continuing Conference: 10 monthly topical sessions to keep you up-to-date throughout the year.
The conference has three main parts:
1. Main Conference:
Sessions will highlight current and former government officials giving insight into government priorities and enforcement actions for the upcoming year.
2. Continuing Conference: Sessions will take place monthly from July of 2021 through April of 2022, and feature government & industry experts on trending topics to keep you abreast of the latest developments in labeling (included in conference registration).
3. Optional Add-On Trainings: In-depth seminars on a variety of labeling topics.
