Stricter Package Labeling Being Required By The FDA

The food and medical industry seem to change and grow daily.  With that, comes stricter package labeling being required by the FDA.  It’s important that your packaging meets the demands of the ever-changing industry and its regulations. At Griffin-Rutgers, we have a solution to meet your labeling requirements.

Labeling RequirementsThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for assuring that foods, cosmetics and drugs sold in the United States are safe and properly labeled.  The FDA has designed new labeling regulations to help health care practitioners easily find, read, and convey information important for the safe and effective use of prescription drugs.

Recently, the FDA began requiring the addition of safety information about the risks, misuse, abuse, addiction, overdose, death and slowed or difficult breathing to be on the labels of prescription opioid cough and cold medicines. They are also considering enforcing regulations on OTC codeine cough medicines in states where it is legal.

On May 20, 2016, the FDA announced the new Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods to reflect new scientific information, including the link between diet and chronic illnesses such as obesity and heart disease. The new labeling will make it easier for consumers to make better and more informed choices. Manufacturers must declare the actual amount, in addition to the percentages of vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium of daily requirements. They can voluntarily declare the gram amount for other vitamins and minerals.

Food labels are designed to provide consumers with information to help make informed food choices.  Laws such as the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), Food Quality Protection Act, Food Allergens labeling, and Consumer Protection Act impose different labeling requirements on foods and beverages.  These laws were passed to prevent consumer deception, ensure fair trade practices, ensure food safety, improve public health, inform about possible health risks (allergen labeling) etc.  Under provisions of the U.S. law, importers of food products intending to market in the U.S. are responsible for ensuring that the products are safe, sanitary, and labeled according to U.S. requirements. Similarly, food products exported from the U.S. should meet the packaging, labeling, and other special conditions required by the country.

As these regulations are mandated by the Federal Government, it’s imperative that food packaging and drug labeling meets the required standards.  At Griffin-Rutgers, our labeling and printing systems can be added in-line to the production equipment, or off-line for external printing and application to help you meet the new regulatory standards.

If you would like to discuss your particular needs contact Griffin-Rutgers and let us put our 50 years of experience in providing printing, coding and labeling solutions for packaging to work for you.

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