The American Bakers Association (ABA) is praising the Food & Drug Administration for extending the compliance date for label changes to the Nutrition Facts Panel on food and beverage products. The FDA announced its intentions in mid-June.
The FDA issued the final regulation in May 2016, requiring revisions to the Nutrition Facts Panel by July 2018.
“The agency has not yet issued vitally important final guidance on added sugars and dietary fibers that is essential for companies to make label updates,” according to a statement from the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which also applauded FDA’s move to extend the original July 2018 deadline.
The extension allows the federal agency to complete the necessary final guidance documents and gives companies adequate time to make the Nutrition Facts Panel revisions.
“Allocating a more reasonable timeline will help bakers, especially small suppliers and bakers, meet the goal of providing consumers with the nutrition information needed to make healthy and informed decisions about their diets,” said ABA President & CEO Robb MacKie. “Most importantly, it will provide consumers with tools to reduce the confusion around food labels.”
MacKie says bakers and other food manufacturers have been seeking a common-sense implementation time frame to diffuse consumer confusion. Bakers, specifically, still are awaiting final guidance on both dietary fiber and new added sugars labeling requirements that are necessary to make the required changes.
“Bakers are eager to receive complete information and final guidance from FDA so that we are able to get started with nutrition labeling revisions to provide clear, concise information for American consumers,” said Lee Sanders, ABA SVP of government relations and public affairs.
