Hi from Food Label News. “New & Improved.” “NEW package, same great flavor.” While you might think we’re talking about claims for food labels, we pause for a moment to unveil a new look for Food Label News debuting in this month’s issue. We welcome your feedback.

Now on to the regularly scheduled program… As we were going to press, FDA finalized the compliance date for the new nutrition facts label regulations which take effect January 1, 2020, for most companies. We will discuss this in more detail next month. For now we consider a topic that interests many: how to get products with non-compliant labeling through customs. Also read about what it takes for a food to be kosher in this month’s Reader Q+A.

• Detained at the Border? How to Get to the Other Side
• What’s News in the Food Label Community
• Reader Q+A: Kosher Labeling
• About Food Consulting Company

All the best,

Karen C. Duester, President, Food Consulting Company

When detained at customs for food labeling violations, what’s a food labeler to do?

CONTACT US.  Yes, we can help. :-)

If you prefer to go it alone, here’s some insight that may help you navigate the border.

Imported products going through customs are often subject to more scrutiny than those that are domestically produced, based on our experience. Not only are there customs agents at the border, there are also FDA officials who review food labels before product is allowed into the U.S.

Consider the following approaches to get your product released:

1. Negotiate a one-time entry of the current product before a required label change

2. Consider over-stickering the label to cover problematic areas and satisfy requirements

3. For issues involving ingredients or formulation, your product development team may be able to provide supporting documentation to demonstrate compliance with federal standards

Bullseye: Negotiations at the border can be very tricky. Consider a partner, skilled in food labeling who can artfully manage the negotiations on your behalf and achieve the most positive outcome for you.

• Nutrition Facts label vitamin and mineral rounding (13+ comments)
• Non-GMO claims (12+ comments)
• High intensity sweeteners and “unsweetened” claims (11+ comments)
• Chocolate ingredient labeling (10+ comments)
• Determining serving size (10+ comments)

READ MORE
 

“Thank you very much for your kind and rapid responses. I am grateful you are my consultant.”
— Peter Choi, Manager of U.S. Business, Binggrae

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Food Consulting Company, founded in 1993, provides nutrition analysis, food labeling and regulatory support for more than 1,500 clients worldwide.
Our guarantee: 100% regulatory compliance.

Food Label News, now in its 18th year, is a monthly e-newsletter reaching over 10,000 subscribers around the world. We welcome your colleagues to subscribe for news and insights about food labels, and we also welcome your question for a future Reader Q+A.

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