Welcome to March's Label Alert! This month there's news on legislation that would require labeling sesame as an allergen, FDA's failure to regulate toxic metals, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack on USDA's priorities, precautionary allergen labeling on prepacked foods, and more ...
PLC is celebrating Spring by offering Label Alert subscribers 15% off registration for one of three add-on seminars at 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 enjoy the new season, and catch up on the latest industry news with Label Alert.
House Bill Aims to Require Labeling Sesame as an Allergen
Representative Doris Matsui of California and Representative Patrick McHenry of North Carolina on Feb. 23 introduced the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research (FASTER) Act of 2021 (HR 1202), which, among other things, would require that sesame be labeled as an allergen on packaged foods.
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack Talks Priorities as he Retakes Control at USDA
Tom Vilsack has retaken the helm at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He visited with the news media about the department's priorities under the Biden administration.
Understanding Precautionary Allergen Labeling (PAL) Preferences Among Food Allergy Stakeholders
Food allergy (FA) is an increasing public health concern in the United States, affecting approximately 8% of children and 11% of adults. The United States currently lacks clear requirements for the use of precautionary allergen labeling (PAL) on packaged foods, such as “may contain” or “made on shared equipment.” This study aimed to understand current knowledge and preferences for PAL statements among FA stakeholders.
Could Mexico’s New Warning Labels Trigger Labeling Laws Elsewhere?
Required front-of-pack (FOP) declarations on all prepackaged food and non-alcoholic beverages sold in Mexico could inspire Latin American or other countries to establish their own labeling regulations as well.
Nothing artificial, free of allergens and a short statement featuring recognizable ingredients are the attributes that have been the drivers of the clean label trend. But when it comes to beverages, clean is evolving to include the removal of characterizing, albeit sometimes undesirable, components, such as the alcohol in wine, the lactose in milk and even the sugar in juice.
This seminar will walk through the FDA and USDA requirements for nutrient content claims and cover the difference between expressed and implied claims, such Low Fat, High Fiber and “Healthy” as well as other nutrition-related statements, relative claims and health claims.
Ensuring compliance and substantiation of new product claims can be challenging. This session is designed to help determine new potential claims for your items, and how to apply them within FDA and USDA requirements.
After diving into the specifics of the new National Bioengineered Disclosure Standard, this seminar will focus on agency updates and best practices for record keeping, supply chain management and making BE claims.
*Receive 15% off seminar registration with coupon code LA0321.
Limit one promotional offer or discount per registration.
