Snac World - August 2017 - 12

LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT

Taking
Center
Stage
Labeling mandates and SNAP policy issues are
the focus as SNAC members visit Capitol Hill.
Photos courtesy of SNAC International

BY DAVID WALSH

S

NAC International business leaders from around
the US visited Washington, DC, in June for the
annual Legislative Summit. Providing a strong
voice for the snack industry, members educated federal
legislators on SNAC's top two priorities: adequate time
to phase in updates to the Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP)
while harmonizing those changes with the upcoming
bioengineered disclosure standard, and protecting the
integrity of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) choice in advance of the upcoming farm
bill reauthorization.
SNAC members covered a lot of ground, meeting
with more than 80 congressional offices. "The time invested to make the connection with our elected officials
in Congress was well worth it," said first-time attendee
Brian Greth, vice-president of corporate services, Utz
Quality Foods, Hanover, PA. "I expect to leverage the
relationships we built well into the future."

INDUSTRY PRIORITIES
On Capitol Hill, SNAC members emphasized that while
they roundly supported updates to the NFP, the compliance deadline of July 2018 was untenable. An extended
compliance date would allow the food industry to save
billions in costs caused by the need to update packaging twice in a short timeframe: once to comply with
Nutrition Facts Panel updates and again to comply with
bioengineered food disclosure requirements.
During SNAC's day on Capitol Hill, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) announced its intention to extend
12

SNAC World August 2017

www.snacintl.org

(From left) SNAC member Chip Mann, Pretzels, Inc.; Sen. Todd Young (R-IN);
Steve Huggins, Pretzels, Inc; and David Flavell, PepsiCo, Inc.

the NFP compliance deadline, a tremendous win for
the association and its members. SNAC International
applauded the agency's decision and remains engaged
with FDA and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) as
it works to synchronize the compliance dates for the
impending NFP and GMO regulations.
"Our Legislative Summit came at a critical moment
in the ongoing effort to ensure our members only need
to update their packaging once to comply with two
impending labeling mandates," said Elizabeth Avery,
president and CEO, SNAC International. "Coordinating
these wide-sweeping updates is a common-sense solution that saves time and money and prevents consumer
confusion that would undoubtedly arise with back-toback labeling changes."
Attendees also urged Congress to maintain the integrity of SNAP by not limiting consumer food choice and
defining foods as "in" or "out." SNAP food choice restrictions would require federal government identification,
evaluation and tracking of the nutritional profile of the
more than 750,000 foods available in today's grocery
stores, resulting in a food code as complicated as the
tax code and unnecessary expanded bureaucracy, adding costs to the program. SNAC continues to work with
Congress, USDA and food industry partners to ensure
integrity of the SNAP program is maintained in advance
of the upcoming 2018 Farm Bill reauthorization.
The opportunity for members to join forces and
advocate for the snack industry represents a central
pillar of the association's mission. "The Legislative
http://www.snacintl.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Snac World - August 2017
