Regulatory Watch

FDA announces draft guidance on food labeling

The FDA has announced the availability of draft guidance entitled “Food Labeling: Serving Sizes of Foods That Can Reasonably Be Consumed At One Eating Occasion, Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed, Serving-Size Related Issues, Dual Column Labeling and Miscellaneous Topics.”

When finalized, the draft guidance will provide questions and answers on topics related primarily to implementing two final rules:

“Food Labeling: Serving Sizes of Foods That Can Reasonably Be Consumed At One Eating Occasion; Dual-Column Labeling; Updating, Modifying, and Establishing Certain Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed; Serving Size for Breath Mints; and Technical Amendments;” and “Food Labeling: Revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.”

This draft guidance also discusses formatting issues for dual-column labeling, products that have limited space for nutrition labeling, and additional issues dealing with compliance. Electronic or written comments on the draft guidance are due by Jan. 4, 2019. Download the draft at www.fda.gov/FoodGuidances.

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Sharon Spielman is former senior editor of Food Engineering magazine. She has more than 25 years of experience as a writer and editor for a range of trade publications, including those that cover food and beverage processing, restaurants and institutions, chefs, process heating and cooling, finishing, and package converting.