New Food Product Label Guidelines
The FDA is expected to issue new food product label guidelines by the end of 2016. Changes will include updates to the nutrition facts and regulatory definitions for words like “natural” and “healthy.” This is something for craft beverage manufacturers should keep a watch for because the FDA has jurisdiction over alcoholic products below 7% ABV except malt beers. This includes ciders, malternatives, hard sodas, hard lemonades, non-malt beers, wine products and wine specialties.
FDA guidelines require ingredients listings and nutritional facts. These label elements are not required on TTB regulated alcoholic beverage labels.
Label design can be confusing since craft cider producer may have same labels under TTB jurisdiction for hard ciders between 7% and 8.5% ABV and under FDA regulation for its ciders below 6.9% ABV. Working with professionals can ensure your labels meet all regulatory requirements for your entire beverage portfolio.
About Tracy Jong
Tracy Jong has been an attorney for more than 20 years, representing restaurants, bars, and craft beverage manufacturers in a wide array of legal matters. She is also a licensed patent attorney.
Her book Everything You Need To Know About Obtaining and Maintaining a New York Retail Liquor License: The Definitive Guide to Navigating the State Liquor Authority will be available next month on Amazon.com as a softcover and Kindle e-book.
Her legal column is available in The Equipped Brewer, a publication giving business advice, trends, and vendor reviews to help craft breweries, cideries, distilleries and wineries build brands and succeed financially.
She also maintains a website and blog with practical information on legal and business issues affecting the industry. Follow her, sign up for her free firm app or monthly newsletter.
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Tracy Jong Law Firm