Food Label Compass Helps Companies Navigate New FDA Labeling Regulations

By Alec Italiano, contributing writer

Food and beverage consulting firms are partnering up to help industry execs understand and comply with new FDA policies

The FDA is planning an overhaul to its Nutrition Facts label policies which will affect almost all food and beverage products sold in retail establishments in the U.S. The updates to the 20-year-old guidelines lends challenges and opportunities that food and beverage companies will need to adopt, understand, and comply with quickly.

Three companies have come together to create a new group intending to help food makers make their way through the FDA’s new label policy, calling itself the Food Label Compass. Partnering up are FoodMinds, a nutrition consulting and communications agency, Nutrition Impact, a consulting firm that analyzes dietary intake trends and develops science-based messages about food products and services, and EAS Consulting Group, a regulatory consulting company that specializes in complex labeling to create the alliance.

The Food Label Compass provides three essential services to companies still needing to comply with the new FDA labeling regulations. First, it identifies the changes to serving size rules and assesses the impact to Daily Values and how the nutrition claims may be affected as well.  Next, the alliance develops regulatory recommendations that it believes should be implemented on new food labels.  This function also answers questions about how to comply with the new nutrition information rules in an approved consumer-friendly method. Finally, the Food Label Compass produces strategies that can be used as a roadmap for a food maker’s portfolio, including details on how to brand a product. All in all, the Food Label Compass explains to companies how to position around the new labeling guidelines so nutritional facts are effectively communicated to the consumer and all foods are perceived the way they are intended.

“From a practical standpoint, we have learned a lot in the past 20 years about the world of food labeling and how companies should meet regulatory requirements balanced with helping consumers make informed choices,” says FoodMinds chief science officer, Robert Post, PhD, MEd, MSc. “Through our new Food Label Compass, we have effectively packaged a mind-trust of science-based analysis, regulatory counsel, and marketing communications experts to provide clients an edge to successfully navigate and capitalize on this opportunity.”

Companies are encouraged to look at their labels now, making changes to them as the new FDA rules approach.  This will make for an easier transition into the new rules, allowing for a smoother changeover into the marketplace, ultimately helping retain customers.

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