Tami Jackson Buckner and Leah Ziemba Featured in August/September Edition of Food Safety Magazine

Food Labeling: Are Standards Being Relaxed or Recovered?

In today's dynamic regulatory environment, food labeling remains central to consumer trust, industry innovation, and public health. Labeling communicates essential information about ingredients, nutritional value, and production methods—serving both as a compliance requirement and a marketing asset. Recent years have seen shifts in regulatory priorities, with some changes perceived as easing unnecessary burdens on the food industry and others seen as efforts to enhance transparency and safety.

This article examines these developments—distinguishing between areas where regulatory standards are being relaxed and where they are being recovered or strengthened—with particular attention to the evolving "clean" label movement and how food companies are responding.

The Role of Labeling

Food labeling operates at the intersection of public policy and private enterprise. On the one hand, it fulfills regulatory obligations; on the other, it influences purchasing decisions. Clear and accurate labeling, and the internal management systems necessary to support clear and accurate labeling, support:

• Consumer safety: Identifying allergens, additives, and nutritional content
• Operational integrity: Helping food businesses comply with regulatory standards and manage recalls
• Market trust: Enhancing brand perception through transparency and simplicity.

Where Standards are Being Relaxed

Standards are being relaxed in several areas:

1. Inspection frequencies and risk-based oversight. Federal oversight by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has steadily moved toward risk-based inspection models, focusing regulatory resources on higher-risk operations instead of applying uniform scrutiny across all facilities. This approach was formalized in the enactment of the Food Safety Modernization Act but has continued as state/federal partnerships have been forced to navigate budget constraints and prioritize efforts. While some critics interpret this as deregulation, many in the food sector see it as a necessary and long-overdue modernization effort—using data analytics, hazard profiling, and predictive tools to allocate resources more efficiently without compromising safety.

2. Labeling information via QR codes. FDA has embraced QR codes as part of its push for food traceability and transparency. Under the Food Traceability Final Rule, QR codes can help track high-risk foods (like leafy greens or deli salads) across the supply chain, which allows access to data such as harvest dates, packaging sites, and transportation conditions—details that would overwhelm a traditional label. This allows for more information to be provided to consumers and, because QR codes are dynamic, companies can update linked content without reprinting packaging (although only to the extent allowed by FDA packaging and labeling requirements). However, note that a 2022 court decision held that QR-only disclosures are insufficient for USDA's bioengineered food labeling requirements.

3. Organic livestock rule adjustments. Proposals to tighten animal welfare criteria under the organic label have seen modifications to better reflect operational feasibility, especially for small and mid-sized producers. By phasing in changes and offering practical timelines, USDA has shown responsiveness to industry concerns about cost, supply chain disruptions, and implementation logistics, aiming to preserve organic program integrity while reducing regulatory overreach.

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