The Food Institute will present a 2-day conference entitled, The Changing Face of US Food Labels: The Basics & Beyond. This event is designed for a global audience, including regulatory affairs and quality assurance personnel, government officials, the legal community, advertising and marketing personnel, academia and policy makers. The event kicks off on Wednesday, Oct. 17, with sessions running from 3pm-5pm, immediately followed by a networking reception. Sessions resume on Thursday, October 18 at 8am and continue throughout the day.

Day 1 will provide a Food Labeling Overview, a discussion of key federal agencies, their jurisdiction and organization. A dialogue detailing categories of food products and how each is regulated will be covered during this time. Mandatory Label Information will offer all in attendance a snapshot of requirements for all food labels. Topics explored at great length will include statement of identity, net contents declaration, ingredients list, signature line, nutrition facts and other mandatory information, such as warning statements and/or country of origin.

Thursday morning will commence with a session on Claims, specifically addressing Nutrient Content Claims and a range of Health Claims. A comprehensive review of Dietary Guidance Statements and Claims Substantiation will be offered, in addition to buzzwords like "Made in the USA", "Natural" and Animal Production Claims. State Laws and Class Action Suits, including California Prop 65, will be brought to the attention of attendees. As the food labeling litigation trend is exploding throughout the country, benefit from the expertise offered by company counsel with regard to defending a lawsuit and how to avoid ever becoming a target. The Thursday session will close with a segment on where food labeling is headed. Final rulings are being handed down on menu labeling, vending machine labeling and "gluten free" labeling in the very near future. Proposed rules are in place for changes to the Nutrition Facts Panel. FDA action is targeting "whole grains" and dietary guidance statements on packaging.

In response to the heightened activity with food labeling, The Food Institute 2-day conference is a must for executives who require timely information covering the changes to labeling requirements. Robert Hahn and Bruce Silverglade, partners with Washington, DC-based firm OFW Law, will lead the panel and deliver the most updated information and analysis pertaining to food labeling.