Food Manufacturers under Fire

Food manufacturers have specific regulations they must follow when providing information on their labels about the contents of their food. Twenty two food manufacturers have recently violated regulations provided in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The crux of the violations include the manufacturers providing information to consumers that falsely identifies the food as being healthy or offering health benefits. There were also false claims made by the manufacturers about the nutritional value of the product. This is why the recall was put into place for twenty two food products.

The FDA has determined that violations surrounding the disclosure of false nutritional content and health benefits pose a risk for consumers in light of the prevalence of obesity and diet related diseases.  The FDA is developing guidelines for labeling of food products to better inform consumers about caloric and nutritional ingredients that are beneficial for health and those that pose a risk to health.

Food labeling helps people to make the appropriate food choices. Over 40 million people are obese and a good majority of the U.S. population is overweight. As people have become more conscientious about food, they have come to rely on the information provided on food labels. The violations related to mislabeling by the twenty two food manufacturers can actually pose health risks for people that relied on the product for that reason.

Recalls involving food is an area that consumers should check on regularly. There are hundreds of food recalls every year that involve mislabeling or risks of injury and death due to food on the shelves that has been found to be unsafe once in the consumer market.

If your child or a loved one has been seriously injured because of a food borne illness, contact Burton Padove for a free consultation at 219-836-2200.