Supermarket Perimeter - November 2019 - 10

EXTENSION GRANTED ON L ABELING COMPLIANCE
complexity. New labels must
be designed. Plates must be
made, and scheduling must
be made with the printing
company. Software vendors,
ingredient suppliers, graphic
designers and printing companies all are involved in the
process.
Second, many companies
would have had existing label
inventory that would have
gone unused by the Jan. 1
compliance date. Disposing
of the labels in landﬁlls
would have involved cost and
would have impacted the
environment.
Third, the six-month delay
will not result in the use of
false or misleading labels,
according to the letter.
Instead, it will involve the
continued use of labels for
a short period of time that
comply with nutrition labeling
rules that have been in effect
for more than 20 years.
"The baking industry has
always been transparent with
its customers and consumers," says Robb MacKie,
president and chief executive

officer of the Washingtonbased American Bakers
Association. "Product labeling
is an important component
to helping customers and
consumers to make informed
choices about the products they buy to feed their
families. A.B.A. is pleased our
members will be given more
ﬂexibility in order to meet the
new labeling requirements."
Besides the ABA, other
members of the Food &
Beverage Issue Alliance
include the American Frozen
Food Institute, the American
Herbal Products Association,
the Corn Reﬁners
Association, the Council for
Responsible Nutrition, the
Food Marketing Institute,
the Independent Bakers
Association, the International
Dairy Foods Association,
the National Automatic
Merchandising Association,
the National Confectioners
Association, the National
Grocers Association,
the Peanut and Tree Nut
Processors Association, and
SNAC International.

our member companies, the industry and the retail
grocery consumer. For example, consumers should
expect to see the price per pound of their favorite
imported cheese to double."
IDDBA says it remains vigilant as it advocates for the
industry. In the ever-changing, fast-paced industry,
IDDBA says retailers and suppliers must work together to
grow proﬁtable sales, while providing the consumer base
the products they want at a reasonable price that allows
them to create and enjoy the experience right for their
family and life.
IDDBA worked with the Cheese Importers Association
of America to distribute an online petition against the
imposition of cheese tariffs.
10 - NOVEMBER 2019

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The FDA ﬁnalized the new
Nutrition Facts Label on
May 27, 2016. Major changes
include an increase in the type
size for calories, the mandatory declaration of vitamin
D and potassium, and the
mandatory listing of added
sugars. Compliance dates
originally were July 26, 2018,
for manufacturers with $10
million or more in annual food
sales and July 26, 2019, for
manufacturers with less than
$10 million in annual food
sales. The dates later were
extended to Jan. 1, 2020, and
Jan. 1, 2021.
The Sept. 30, 2019, letter
from the Food & Beverage
Issue Alliance requested the
FDA provide similar ﬂexibility
to the manufacturers with
less than $10 million in annual
sales as they also will face
challenges in achieving 100%
compliance by Jan. 1, 2021.
The FDA's recent decision,
however, only applies to the
Jan 1, 2020, compliance date,
which is for manufacturers
with $10 million or more in
annual sales.

FMI, others urge passage of U.SMexico-Canada Agreement
Food Marketing Institute President and CEO Leslie
Sarasin joined 18 other association leaders of the retail,
agriculture, automotive, and services industries in
urging the U.S. Congress to pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada
Agreement. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted the
joint press conference emphasizing how the Agreement
is critical to the country's economic future, giving
certainty to businesses, workers and consumers.
The agreement between the three nations - which
was negotiated to replace the 25-year-old North
American Free Trade Agreement - has been signed but
has yet to be ratiﬁed. It was signed by President Donald

ADOBESTOCK

The Food and Drug
Administration will not focus
on enforcement actions
for six months after a new
Nutrition Facts Label goes
into effect on Jan. 1. Instead,
during the ﬁrst six months
of 2020, the FDA will work
with manufacturers to meet
the new Nutrition Facts Label
requirements.
The FDA said it heard
from several manufacturers
and groups that more time
may be needed to meet all
the requirements. The Food
& Beverage Issue Alliance
listed problems with meeting
the new requirements in a
Sept. 30 letter to the FDA.
Thirteen industry groups
made up the alliance.
The letter requested a sixmonth delay and listed three
main reasons why companies
would have a difficult time
meeting the Jan. 1 date for
labeling compliance for manufacturers with $10 million or
more in annual sales.
First, updating all the
labels involves considerable
time, planning resources and
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