To help you keep up-to-date and as an FYI we recently visited the Food and Drug Administration’s website. They recently put out a letter regarding point of purchase food labeling. An excerpt from the letter follows:

Point of purchase labeling including Front of Package (FOP) labeling is voluntary information that is intended to convey to consumers the nutritional attributes of a food. Point of purchase labeling often includes symbols that are typically linked to a set of nutritional criteria developed by food manufacturers, grocery stores, trade organizations, and health organizations. Two major categories of FOP symbol systems are “summary” and “nutrient-specific” systems. The summary symbols use logos, numerical scores, or graphic schemes to communicate the overall nutritional quality of a food product to consumers and facilitate comparisons between products based on the food’s nutritional quality. Nutrient-specific symbols provide quantitative, evaluative, or both kinds of information on selected nutrients in a product without comparing the product’s overall nutritional quality to that of its counterparts.

Please click here to see the entire letter and more information on the FDA website.

The other day I received an email from The Food Institute announcing their updated U.S. Food Labeling Guide III. They are also offering a Members Only 10% discount coupon on this publication. Here’s what they say, “There have been numerous changes in food labeling regulations that became effective Jan. 1, 2006.  Namely new requirements for labeling of trans fats…new allergen labeling requirements, and new policies on qualified health claims.  Are you aware that you and your firm can be impacted if you are not complying with the latest government regulations?  This third edition of The Food Institute’s best-selling U.S. Food Labeling Guide includes full explanations of these changes and how you should handle them.  Food Institute counsel Olsson, Frank & Weeda, PC authored this publication in layman’s terms, not in “legalese.” More information and how to order can be found on their website at http://www.foodinstitute.com/labeling.cfm.