Kelloggs, Kraft and General Mills Suspend Smart Choices Labeling Program

Hi Everyone,

This morning, I told you about the FDA/FTC warning letter to Dr. Andrew Weil.

This afternoon, I want to tell you about the voluntary suspension of a food labeling program by the above companies. The suspension is the ultimate result of a letter from the FDA to the companies (see here) which called into question claims made through the program.

Specifically, that such programs may mislead consumers about the health benefits of certain foods, and it told manufacturers it will crack down on inaccurate labeling. It did not criticize specific products or label programs or give a timeline for enforcement.

Several media outlets are covering the story:

Chicago Tribune (thanks to JoAnn Hines, Packaging Diva for that link)

Forbes.com

This development is more clear evidence that the FDA is taking an entirely new approach to reviewing the labels of products it regulates.

I have scheduled an IBN member conference call to review applicable laws on November 5 at noon New York Time.

dM

Tags: cosmetics, fda, ftc, regulations, rules

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Permalink Reply by JoAnn Hines on October 26, 2009 at 9:40am

dM:
This is going to continue to be a hot issue, There have been numerous other products that have been cited and told to change their labeling on product packaging or take off the statements. Not only does this concern food, health and beauty claims, it concerns "greenwashing" (environmental claims) on product packaging too. (I have a couple of examples on my blog @ http://is.gd/4Csqb)

Its a trickle down effect starting with the "big boys" but smaller companies will be impacted too. One mistake in not understanding the rules can get you in serious trouble.

With my Twitter feed I alert my followers of any "packaging" legislation that can impact their business. So please follow this thread @ indiebeauty.com and my tweets as packagingdiva.
Happy Packaging!

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Donna Maria is the founder and CEO of IBN. She hosts Indie Business Podcast, manages Indie Business Blog, publishes the Indie Experience Newsletter, and leads the New "One Percent" entrepreneurial MasterMind coaching program. You can connect with dM at her profile page, blog, FaceBook, or Twitter.

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