Mediaboss Marketing

Enlarge / Former First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled the new, modernized Nutrition Facts Label at the Building a Healthier Future Summit.

Following pressure from the food and beverage industry, the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it would indefinitely delay the rollout of new nutrition labels that were designed to help consumers better evaluate the contents and of packaged foods.

Manufacturers originally had more than two years to refresh their labels with the new standards. The deadline for large producers was July 26, 2018, while those making less than $10 million in annual food sales had an additional year. Some companies are smoothly working on the roll-out of their new labels, while others pushed back on lawmakers, saying they needed more time.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), for instance, calledthe FDAs indefinite delay a common-sense decision, citing lack of final details about added sugar and dietary fiber labeling. The fast-approaching compliance deadline was virtually impossible to meet without the needed final guidance documents from FDA, the association said in a statement.

In a March letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price (obtained by advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest),the GMA urged that the deadline be pushed back until 2021.

But, despite GMAs concerns over incomplete guidance, other food makers didnt seem to have any trouble redesigning their labels. Candy maker Mars Inc., for instance, told the AP that it still intends to roll out the new labels this year and be in full compliance by next year. And The Washington Post reports that other early adopters include: Nabisco/Mondelz, which has rolled the labels out on its Wheat Thins crackers; PepsiCo, which has put them on Lays chips, Fritos, and Cheetos; and KIND, which makes granola bars.

Despite this potential business pitfall, Figel said he wasnt surprised by the FDAs delay. Theres just been a lot of pressure to extend the deadline, he said.

The FDAs label delay is just the latest in a series of moves to rollbacknutrition and health policies laid out during the Obama era. In May, the Trump administration announced that it was hitting the brakes on efforts to improve the nutritional quality of school lunches, including reducing sodium and boosting whole grains. Also in May, the FDA delayed the roll out of calorie counts on restaurant menus.

Link:
Trump admin. delays Obama-era reboot of nutrition label amid industry pressure - Ars Technica