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| LAWS AND REGULATIONS | to Top |
Laws and regulations impact the food industry considerably, from growth of the raw product to consumption of the consumer. It is almost impossible to review. The best is to check the federal government and state government sites.
| Year/Date | Regulation/Law |
| 1906 | The Federal Food and Drugs Act and the Federal Meat Inspection Act authorize the federal government to regulate the safety and quality of food. The responsibility falls to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Chemistry, FDA's predecessor. |
| 1913 | The GOULD Amendment requires food packages to state the quantity of contents. |
| 1924 | In US v. 95 Barrels Alleged Apple Cider Vinegar, the Supreme Court rules that the Food and Drugs Act condemns every statement, design or device which may mislead, misdirect or deceive, even if technically true. |
| 1938 | The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act replaces the 1906 Food and Drugs Act. Among other things, it requires the label of every processed packaged food to contain the name of the food, its net weight, and the name and address of the manufacturer or distributor. A list of ingredients also is required on certain products. The law also prohibits statements in food labeling that are false or misleading. |
| 1950 | The Oleomargarine Act requires prominent labeling of colored oleomargarine to distinguish it from butter. |
| 1957 | The Poultry Products Inspection Act authorizes USDA to regulate, among other things, the labeling of poultry products. |
| 1966 | The Fair Packaging and labeling Act requires all consumer products in interstate commerce to contain accurate information and to facilitate value comparisons. |
| 1969 | The White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health addresses deficiences in the U.S. diet. It recommends that the federal government consider developing a system for identifying the nutritional qualities of food. |
| 1973 | FDA issues regulations requiring nutrition labeling on food containing one or more added nutrients or whose label or advertising includes claims about the food-s nutritional properties or its usefulness in the daily diet. Nutrition labeling is voluntary for almost all other foods. |
| 1975 | Voluntary nutrition labeling, postponed from its originally planned 1974 datte, goes into effect. |
| 1984 | FDA adds sodium to the list of required, and potassium to the list of optional, nutrients on the nutrition panel. Effective in 1985, the new regulation also defines terms, such as "low sodium," that may be used on labels to make sodium content claims. |
| 1988 | Surgeon General C. Everett Koop releases the Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health, the federal government's first formal recognition of the role of diet in certain chronic diseases. |
| 1989 | The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences issues Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk, which preseants additional evidence of the growing acceptance of diet as a factor in the development of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease and cancer. Under contract with FDA and USDA's Food Safety and Insepction Service (FSIS), the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences convenes a committee to consider how food labels could be improved to help consumers adopt or adhere to healthy diets. its recommendations are presented in Nutrition Labeling: Issues and Directions fit the 1990s. FDA publishes an advance notice of proposed rule-making on food labeling and, with FSIS participating holds a series of four public hearings around the country. |
| 1990 | FDA proposes extensive food labeling changes, which include manatory nutrition labeling for must foods, standardized serving sizes, and uniform use of health claims. When Congress passed the Nutriiton Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), the Act reaffirmed the legal basis for FDA's labeling initiative and establishes an explicit timetable. |
| 1991 | FDA issues more than 20 proposals to implement NLEA. In addition, the agency issues a final rule that sets up a voluntary point-of-purchase nutrition information program for raw produce and fish. FSIS unveils its proposals for mandatory nutrition labeling of processed meat and poultry and volun tary point-of-purchase nutrition information for raw meat and poultry. |
| 1992 | FDA's voluntary point-of-purchase nutrition information program for fresh produce and raw fish goes into effect. |
| 1993 | FDA issues the final regulations implementing NLEA. Regulations covering health claims becomes effective May 8, 1993. Those pertaining to nutrition labeling and nutrient content claim are effective May 8, 1994. |
| 1994 | FDA issues the final regulations implementing NLEA. Regulations covering health claims becomes effective May 8, 1993. Those pertaining to nutrition labeling and nutrient content claim are effective May 8, 1994. |
| 1994 | FSIS issues regulations for nutrition labeling of meat and poultry, effective July 6, 1994 |
Adapted and modified from the web site http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/nlea.html on 5/05/98. From FDA Consumer May 1993 Paula Kurtzweil, FDA
Updated: Friday, July 24, 2009.
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