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FDA Proposes New Rule on Food Labeling in Vending Machines

Revised rule suggests that type size on packaged food must be 1.5 times size of net weight declaration

FRIDAY, July 20, 2018 (HealthDay News) — A new rule proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests that the type size on packaged foods sold in vending machines be at least 1.5 times the size of the net weight declaration on the front of the package.

The FDA-proposed rule would revise the front-of-package labeling requirements first issued in 2014 for packaged foods sold in vending machines. The revised proposal suggests that the type size on these packages be at least 1.5-times the size of the net weight declaration on the front of the package. The proposed change would apply to glass-front vending machines owned by operators with 20 or more vending machines, and would make the type size of calorie counts more consistent on food packages.

The new proposed rule is designed to reduce the regulatory burden and increase flexibility of final regulations. The FDA intends to allow manufacturers of products sold in glass vending machines additional time to be compliant, with a compliance date of Jan. 1, 2020. Stakeholders and the public can comment on this rule; the comments will inform the FDA’s thinking on the final rule.

“The proposed change would provide industry with more flexibility to implement calorie labeling requirements, while still ensuring consumers can read the information to better inform their purchase choices,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottleib, M.D., said in a statement.

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