FDA

To make sense of the FDA’s recent flood of guidances and announcements, we spoke with a few industry experts to help us break down the regulatory and political jargon and explain what it could potentially mean for business leaders.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week that it will not actively enforce certain areas of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). One provision in particular has the potential to impact CPG supply chains.

Last week, the FDA issued a guidance to food manufacturers on the best practices for using third-party certification. The goal is to avoid claims of bias or accusations of a conflict of interest against the hired experts.

Under the new Nutrition Facts regulations, the types of ingredients that would count towards dietary fiber levels was severely reduced. Earlier this year the FDA announced it would review 26 additional isolated and synthetic ingredients to be recognized as acceptable, however, after almost a year with no guidance or updates on the review, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) is asking for answers.

Under the Obama administration, brands had until July 26, 2018, to adjust all packaging. With the new extension, manufacturers with $10 million or more in annual food sales will now have until Jan. 1, 2020; manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales have until Jan. 1, 2021.

While children fear monsters under their beds, parents of children with allergies fear a different kind of demon: peanuts. But, according to two recent studies, peanut allergies may be avoidable with the controlled, early introduction of peanuts to babies. The FDA has taken note and its change in stance is sending waves throughout the food industry.

During a public meeting on March 9, the agency was urged to consider both nutrient content and food type when defining the term ‘healthy” on labels. The FDA will consider all comments and written submissions during this public comment period to decide how best to update its guidelines.

Keeping dairy in the barnyard rather than out among the crops, the proposed bill, the Dairy Pride Act, declares that dairy foods should be made from the secretions of hoofed animals only.

In May 2016, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unveiled updates to the Nutrition Facts panel that appears on all food and beverage products. Now the agency is clarifying certain details of these changes in its draft guidance issued this week. Industry members have 60 days to submit comments before the final version is drafted.

It’s like playing Russian Roulette. With food. At least, that’s the opinion of one scientist.