The National Agricultural Law Center
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Food Labeling



Overview

Governmental intervention in food labeling typically aims at improving human health and safety, supporting domestic agricultural and food manufacturing industries, and averting international trade disputes. Pursuant to the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act and its amendments, food labeling addresses nutritional information and is required for most prepared foods, such as breads, cereals, canned and frozen foods, snacks, desserts, drinks, etc., whereas nutrition labeling for raw produce (fruits and vegetables) and fish is voluntary.
Read the full overview

Note: Recently added resources are posted at the top of the applicable sections.

Major Statutes

Agriculture Marketing Act, 7 U.S.C. §§ 1621-1638
Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1385
Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1451-1461
Federal Alcohol Administration Act, 27 U.S.C. §§ 201-219
Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, 21 U.S.C. §§ 301-399
Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, 21 U.S.C § 343
Meat Inspection Act, 21 U.S.C. §§ 606-611, 619
Poultry and Poultry Products Inspection Act, 21 U.S.C. §§ 457-458

Regulations

Fair Packaging and Labeling Act Regulations, 16 C.F.R. §§ 500-503
General Regulations for the Enforcement of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act,
21 C.F.R. §§ 101-199
General FDA Food Labeling Regulations, 21 C.F.R. §§ 100-169
General FDA Dietary Supplement Regulations, 21 C.F.R. §§ 190-203
Transfat Labeling Regulation, 21 C.F.R. § 101
Federal Register Rules Open for Comment
Federal Register Digest

Case Law

Note: Recently summarized cases are listed and linked in Recent Postings.

Case Law Index for Food Labeling

Administrative Law Decisions

FDA Dockets Management
Federal Trade Commission Actions
Office of the Administrative Law Judges
USDA National Appeals Division
USDA Judicial Officer's Decisions

Center Research Publications

State-Level Catfish Labeling Laws (Springsteen, 2008)
United States Food Law Update II (Roberts, 2006)
United States Food Law Update (Roberts & Alsbrook, 2005)
European Union Food Law Update II (Coutrelis, 2006)
European Union Food Law Update (Coutrelis, 2005)

Congressional Research Service Reports

CRS Subject(s):
Biotechnology
Animal Agriculture
Food Safety

Reference Resources

Food and Drug Administration
Guidance for Industry: A Food Labeling Guide
Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition
Food Labeling Guide
Draft Guidance for Industry: Voluntary Labeling of Biotech Foods
Food Labeling Publications
Qualified Health Claims
Center for Veterinary Medicine: Pet Foods
Food Ingredients & Packaging
Food Labeling & Packaging Survey
How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Panel
The Food Pyramid: The Food Label Connection
Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary Supplements
Transfats Labeling Information


Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Dietary Supplements: An Advertising Guide for Industry
Diet and Fitness
Fair Packaging and Labeling Act
FTC Health Publications


USDA
Food Labeling Fact Sheets
Agricultural Marketing Service
Food Purchase Specifications
Child Nutrition Labeling
Economic Research Service (ERS)
The Economics of Food Labeling
Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS)
General Labeling Policies
Ingredients Policies
Labeling and Consumer Protection Service
Organics and Other Labeling Claim Policies
Packaging Policies
Quality Standards
National Agricultural Library Food and Nutrition Information Center
Food Labeling Topic Page
What's In The Foods You Eat Search Tool


Other Federal Resources
FDA Needs to Better Leverage Resources, Improve Oversight, and Effectively Use
Available Data to Help Consumers Select Healthy Foods (GAO-08-597)
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (U.S. Department of Treasury)
Advertising
Beer Homepage
Distilled Spirits Homepage
Labeling
Wine Homepage
COLA Registry Database
Federal Citizen Information Center
National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S. Department of Commerce)
Fact Sheet on Metric Labeling for Consumer Packages
State Weights and Measures Laws
Food Labeling (Consumer.gov)


International Resources
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Ecolabeling and Fisheries Technical Paper
Labeling to Communicate
World Health Organization (WHO)
Nutrition Labels and Health Claims: The Global Regulatory Environment
World Trade Organization (WTO)
Dispute Settelement Gateway
Geographical Indications
TRIPS Agreement
WTO Publications
Agreement Between the United States and the European Community on Trade in Wine
Agreement Between the United States and Mexico on Trade in Tequila
European Union
Regulation Concerning the Traceability and Labeling of Genetically Modified Organisms
Homepage for Food and Nutrition Labelling Issues
Product Labelling and Packaging
Labelling of Animal Feed Materials
Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code
Japan's Labeling Standard for Genetically Modified Foods


Publications
Food Labeling: Toward National Uniformity (National Academies Press)







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