Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) – FDA 16 CFR Part 500

  • FDA

    Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) – FDA 16 CFR Part 500

    Posted by Charles Thomas on October 25, 2022 at 1:05 pm

    The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act is a U.S. law that applies to labels on many consumer products. The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act regulation required all “consumer commodities” to be labeled to disclose the identity of the product, the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor; and the net quantity of contents. The Act authorizes additional regulations where necessary to prevent consumer deception (or to facilitate value comparisons) with respect to descriptions of ingredients, slack fill of packages, use of “cents-off” or lower price labeling, or characterization of package sizes.

    The Office of Weights and Measures of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce, is authorized to promote to the greatest practicable extent uniformity in State and Federal regulation of the labeling of consumer commodities. The contents statement must include both metric and U.S. customary units.

    Summary of Provisions

    According to the Act, the term package means any container or wrapping in which any consumer commodity is enclosed and displayed for retail. It does not include:

    • Shipping containers and wrapping for transport of commodities in bulk from manufacturers to retailers and vice versa
    • Shipping containers and wrapping without printed matter about contents used by retailers to ship or deliver commodities to their customers

    Labels refer to any written, printed or graphic matter affixed to any consumer commodity or packages containing the commodity.

    Prohibited acts, coverage, general labeling requirements, exemption procedures

    No person engaged in the packaging or labeling of any consumer commodity for distribution in commerce, and no person (other than a common carrier for hire, or a freight forwarder for hire) engaged in the distribution in commerce of any packaged or labeled consumer commodity, shall distribute or cause to be distributed in commerce any such commodity if such commodity is contained in a package, or if there is affixed to that commodity a label, which does not conform to the provisions of the Act and of the regulations in this part.

    Labeling Unit of Product weight or mass

    The term net weight or net mass may be used in stating the net quantity of contents in terms of weight or mass. However, where the term “net weight” or “net mass” is not used, the quantity of contents shall always disclose the net quantity of contents. For example: “906 g (2 lb)” or “Net Wt 2 lb (906 g)” or “Net Mass 906 g (2 lb)”.

    Labeling Measurement of Product length

    Declaration of net quantity in terms of yards, feet, and inches shall be expressed as follows:

    • If less than 1 foot, in terms of inches and fractions thereof.
    • If 1 foot or more, in terms of the largest whole unit (a yard or foot) with any remainder in terms of inches or common or decimal fractions of the foot or yard, except that it shall be optional to express the length in the preceding manner followed by a statement of the length in terms of inches.
    Charles Thomas replied 2 years ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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