The Fine Print Goes Bold: Key Takeaways from Our FDA Front-of-Pack Labelling Webinar

Last month, industry experts from Propelis gathered for a conversation about a topic set to reshape the food and beverage landscape in America: the FDA’s proposed front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling requirements. Our webinar brought together regulatory specialists, creative leaders, and brand professionals who’ve already navigated similar waters in other markets. If you missed it, don’t worry. We’ve rounded up the most important insights to bring you up to speed.

What’s the challenge?

The FDA’s proposed regulations centre on a mandatory Nutrition Info Box (NIB) that will display quick-glance information on saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar directly on the principal display panel (PDP) of food packages. This has huge implications for pack design and brand positioning. The silver lining is that, with a compliance date anticipated around 2029 (three years after the regulations are finalised), brands have time to prepare for a smooth transition.

Michael Grady, Growth and Partnerships at Equator Design, set the stage for the discussion by highlighting the core tension brands will face – how to balance compliance and creativity.

Understanding the scope

Janet Coulson, Director of Regulatory Compliance at Marks, got the conversation underway by providing a comprehensive overview of which products would be impacted – essentially most packaged foods manufactured, sold, and imported into the US. She walked attendees through the three buckets of exemptions:

• Technical exemptions, including foods already exempt from nutritional labelling, raw fruits and vegetables, food service items, and foods with negligible nutrients (like coffee grounds), provided they don’t make certain health claims (e.g., low calorie).
• Population group exemptions, such as foods for children aged 1-3 and infants from birth to 12 months.
• Small packaging exemptions (products with less than 12 square inches of total space for labelling).

Janet also covered the technical requirements for the NIB, including sizing options (the FDA has proposed two), formats, and location specifications, showing mock-ups to help attendees visualise the impact (Marks participated in the FDA consultation process, sending these mock-ups to demonstrate the effects of both options).

Learning from experience

One of the webinar’s most valuable aspects was hearing from professionals who have already navigated similar regulations in Canada. Both Melanie Hoo, Creative Director of Own Brands at Sobeys, and Shelby Standring, Marketing Project Manager at Dare Foods Limited, shared candid insights from their experiences with Health Canada’s FOP regulations.

“You’ve got to go through the grieving process, certainly as a designer and someone who manages packaging, because you have to have this [NIB] and you can’t change it or design it,” admitted Melanie. “But once you’ve come to terms with that, it’s about figuring the best way forward, looking at when you want to be on shelf; deciding whether you want to reformulate any products; and looking at ways to add consistency from a packaging design perspective.”

Shelby echoed this sentiment, before sharing how her team at Dare Foods underwent a reformulation process to avoid featuring the symbol where possible. Planning was paramount, she explained, to allocate appropriate resources across the organisation and consider other upcoming changes to maximise efficiency. “We tried to be mindful of all other regulations that were coming up and build those into our update to be as efficient as possible,” she commented.

What brands can do now

Michael Duffy, SVP and Global Creative Director at Equator Design, outlined several strategic paths forward for brands facing these changes:

• Reformulate products to reduce flagged nutrients.
• Reposition the audience, brand story, or key communication points.
• Redesign or optimise packaging to maintain brand equity.
• Counter-communicate by emphasising positive attributes (for example, highlighting when sugars come from natural sources).

“Design can be your best friend in this,” he explained. “Appetite appeal is going to be more important than ever now as people become more discerning about when to treat themselves, so you may want to optimise for this by reshooting your photography.”

Michael closed the section with three critical recommendations:

• Evaluate your portfolio and flag areas of concern.
• Proactively adjust design to mitigate violation of brand equities.
• Lock in printer commitments early.

Michael then shared a seven-step checklist that included setting up a dedicated internal team for NIB rollout, determining a brand standard, and choosing a design agency with relevant experience.

Avoiding common pitfalls

During the Q&A session that followed, Grady asked Melanie and Shelby to share the lessons they learned during Health Canada’s rollout. Both women emphasised the importance of resource allocation and setting up a dedicated FOP team.

From an agency perspective, Duffy highlighted the importance of picking the right partner, with the skills, knowledge, and resources to cope with the volume of work required. Having partnered with Equator on the Canadian regulations, Melanie confirmed that, “having a design resource where I didn’t have to explain what the regulations are was hugely comforting.”

Taking the next steps

Michael rounded out the webinar with a clear call to action: get started now. Begin assessing your portfolio, initiate conversations within your organisation, and engage with your creative partners. With the right preparation and some strategic thinking, you can navigate these changes while protecting, and even enhancing brand equity.

If you missed the webinar or want to learn more about how Equator can help your brand navigate the FDA’s proposed FOP labelling requirements, get in touch with our team today.