On September 21, 2021, Claudia Lewis was featured in a Q&A with Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery on how the Food Labeling Modernization Act will affect consumers. The following is an excerpt:
What are some top areas of concern with the Act, specifically in the snack and bakery sector?
That's a good question. As you know, food safety is updated and it's predicated on making sure the food supply is safe and making sure that the information that is given to consumers is transparent and understandable. What we see with this new Modernization Act is that now one of the main provisions of the bill requires [food to] bear summary nutritional information that reflects the overall nutritional value of the food. And that's a departure—we're all used to the nutrition facts panel having how many calories from fat, how much sugar is in the product, et cetera.
We're used to seeing a breakdown of vitamins and minerals, based on the serving size and things like that, and now, for the first time we're seeing additional information about the nutritional value of the product. And it has to be on the PDP [principal display panel] as opposed to the back panel or side panel. Normally the PDP is reserved for a branding statement or identity, like this bread or this sauce. Some companies do like to say [their products are] organic, or non-GMO, and what we're seeing now is we're going to have to talk to about whether this is considered a nutritionally viable-type product.
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