Why FDA Compliance Matters
The term ‘FDA compliance’ is often shrouded in mystery when you’re first entering the consumer goods space. It’s a critical consideration when launching a new brand or product line, but understanding the requirements can be tedious and overwhelming.
Anytime you walk into a supermarket and look at an assortment of products, they’ll be a few things that will be found on every piece of packaging, including the most recognizable piece; the nutrition fact panel.
The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, is responsible for assuring that foods sold in the United States are safe, wholesome, and properly labeled. As such, there are components that the FDA requires for all food labeling, in order to have a standardized way of helping consumers understand what the product is, what the nutritional value of the product is, how many servings it contains, and more.
The FDA mandates these labeling procedures for food and beverage companies produced domestically and internationally. In total, the FDA regulates approximately 78% of the US food supply. Of course, there are a few exceptions to nutrition labeling requirements, however, the vast majority of food and beverage companies are expected to comply with all FDA regulations.
There are several important acts that govern much of how we label our products.
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act are the Federal laws governing food products under FDA's jurisdiction.
In Summary: A set of laws passed by Congress enabling the FDA to set specific requirements as to how products are products and labeled to ensure consumer health.
The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), which amended the FD&C Act requires most foods to bear nutrition labeling and requires food labels that bear nutrient content claims and certain health messages to comply with specific requirements.
In Summary: In an effort to prevent false advertising, the FDA has specific nutritional requirements associated with potential marketing claims. For example, to say that a product is ‘low sodium,’ its sodium content must fall below a certain threshold.
At ENTR, we help ensure that brands are able to comply with the FDA when applying ingredient statements, allergen statements, nutrient content claims, and nutrition facts panels to their product labels.
