FDA Food Labeling Enforcement: Why Compliance is Important for Food Manufacturers [caption id="attachment_1182" align="aligncenter" width="740"]
Online nutrition analysis software makes it easy to create FDA-compliant nutrition labels so you won’t face the FDA’s consequences for non-compliance. Image source: Unsplash user Daria Nepriakhina.[/caption]
Often, food manufacturers tell me that the FDA nutrition labeling rules seem very particular (some even say nitpicky). From label layouts to
rounding rules
and everything in between, I’ll admit the FDA does have some pretty stringent guidelines for proper nutrition labeling. This is, however, for good reason.
From a consumer perspective, it makes sense that nutrition labels are standardized. Not only are the guidelines in place to help inform the public about what is in their food, they ensure that the same important nutrition information is given consistently across products. This holds food manufacturers accountable for disclosing the contents of the products in a way that is familiar and comprehensive to consumers.
Another sound reason to comply with the FDA’s nutrition labeling guidelines is to avoid the consequences if you don’t. If you’re concerned about getting something wrong on your nutrition label, I’m going to fill you in on FDA food labeling enforcement and explain the best method for making a perfect FDA-compliant label from the beginning.
Online nutrition analysis software makes it easy to create FDA-compliant nutrition labels so you won’t face the FDA’s consequences for non-compliance. Image source: Unsplash user Daria Nepriakhina.[/caption]
Often, food manufacturers tell me that the FDA nutrition labeling rules seem very particular (some even say nitpicky). From label layouts to
rounding rules
and everything in between, I’ll admit the FDA does have some pretty stringent guidelines for proper nutrition labeling. This is, however, for good reason.
From a consumer perspective, it makes sense that nutrition labels are standardized. Not only are the guidelines in place to help inform the public about what is in their food, they ensure that the same important nutrition information is given consistently across products. This holds food manufacturers accountable for disclosing the contents of the products in a way that is familiar and comprehensive to consumers.
Another sound reason to comply with the FDA’s nutrition labeling guidelines is to avoid the consequences if you don’t. If you’re concerned about getting something wrong on your nutrition label, I’m going to fill you in on FDA food labeling enforcement and explain the best method for making a perfect FDA-compliant label from the beginning.
Food Labeling Enforcement: How it Works
Let’s pretend your food product fails, in some way, to comply with the FDA’s calorie labeling guidelines. Perhaps you’ve made an unsubstantiated health claim or you’ve failed to identify an allergenic ingredient and someone in the public reports an adverse event. Whatever the offense, if the FDA catches wind of it (which they may through random inspection or a reported event), they typically take the following steps:- They issue a letter that notifies you that you’ve violated the FDA’s guidelines and explains what you need to do in order to correct the situation (i.e. include an appropriate allergen statement on the label). This gives you the chance to remedy the problem without any major consequences. Depending on the severity of the violation, the letter will either be a “letter of warning” for severe cases or an “untitled letter” for smaller offenses.
- Your product is seized if you fail to address the problem promptly after receiving the warning letter. This means your product will be pulled from retail locations.
- An injunction is issued if you still haven’t satisfactorily resolved the issue. This means a court order will be put in place to strongly encourage your company to do (or not do) what the FDA has previously requested.
- Criminal prosecution will be considered, depending on the exact violation. Intentionally deceiving the public by including inaccurate health or nutrition claims, for instance, could result in a significant fine.
