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Food label debates coming to a head

Food label debates coming to a head

Food distribution and relevant management frameworks have had to remain somewhat flexible in the past few years, thanks to the seemingly perpetual state of change taking place in federal regulations and compliance requirements related to labeling. This has been one of the more widely discussed debates for several years now, especially with consumers becoming more aware of potential hazards in their eating habits and a more robust landscape of health-conscious individuals. 

At the same time, a range of federal efforts have worked to reduce the rate of improper or misleading labeling on behalf of food and beverage companies, as well as others in the clothing industry and beyond. Businesses need to not only ensure that their labeling strategies are in compliance with the law, but also work to reduce the threat of hurting their own reputations by misleading their clientele or allowing inaccurate information to mistakenly appear on their branded items. 

A stranger assertion
Researchers Steven Dallas, Peggy Liu and Peter Upbel recently argued in a Washington Post column that the new standards and practices released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration might not actually help consumers make healthier, smarter choices at the grocery store. According to the authors, this is related to the nutritional facts labels that are governed by the regulatory entity, and while there was certainly a need for modernization in relevant legislative frameworks, officials might be missing the mark. 

Now, these types of matters are important to keep up with from competitive and compliance perspectives, as covered entities need to oblige the standards but also must ensure that they are best serving their customer bases. The researchers affirmed that the serving size adjustment might be the one matter that decision-makers should consider a bit more thoroughly, as some health professionals have argued that this will lead to individuals eating even more than ever. 

This is due to larger serving sizes across a range of categories. 

Having cake and eating it too
Any food distributor knows the fine line that must be walked to oblige regulators and consumers in one fell swoop, and one of the only ways to have cake and eat it too involves the balancing of strategies to make everyone happy. With the right label provider, companies will be able to more efficiently handle these matters, and avoid the prospect of either falling out of compliance with the law or beginning to hinder their brand images in the eyes of consumers. 

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