Westminster, CO -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/05/2014 -- TraceGains, a web-based, full-service supplier, compliance, and regulatory document management solution, explored the popularity of “natural foods” and the implications for food manufacturers and suppliers. Jennifer Brusco, TraceGains’ Marketing Specialist, interviewed Antonio Gallegos, Counsel at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, to clarify “natural” labeling for food industry.

As Americans become more health-conscious and the demand increases for healthy and natural foods, food manufacturers must walk the line between making all natural product claims and being 100% truthful in their statements. Brusco explored the definition of “natural foods” with Gallegos.

Traurig noted, “I would bet that “natural” labeling and advertising claims are the largest single source of lawsuits against food companies over the past three years. The primary reason for the controversy is the lack of a clear definition or any objective criteria for determining whether a food is truly natural.”

Traurig discussed how food manufacturers and suppliers can mitigate the risk of lawsuits with the labeling controversy. “One suggestion is to avoid unqualified claims that a food is natural or all-natural. Instead, focus on the specific ingredients to make a claim such as, ‘Made With Natural Ingredients.’ The pink lemonade example in the FDA policy is a good illustration. FDA’s position is that pink lemonade colored with beet juice should not be labeled “All-Natural Pink Lemonade.” However, the policy does not preclude the statement “Pink Lemonade with All-Natural Ingredients.” Of course, you must have a reasonable basis for saying that your ingredients are, in fact, all-natural.”

To read the entire interview, go to: http://www.tracegains.com/blog/coffee-chat-with-antonio-gallegos-why-all-the-fuss-about-natural-food-claims.

About TraceGains
TraceGains (http://www.tracegains.com) provides food and beverage manufacturers and distributors with a web-based, full-service supplier, compliance, and regulatory document management solution that automates and streamlines processes to convert static documents into actionable data. With a network of more than 5,000 supplier members and more than 250 deployment sites, TraceGains offers an ever-expanding database of suppliers, purchased items, and documents that companies can leverage to improve product quality, accelerate product development, and meet regulatory and audit pressures. TraceGains not only digitizes all incoming documents, making them easily searchable, but also extracts critical data and analyzes them against customer-specific business and compliance rules, alerting stakeholders to any non-compliance. TraceGains’ automated solution assures companies that documentation is up to date, organized, and searchable, making companies 365 Audit Ready. TraceGains’ customers boast a four to six month return on their investment. Recently, TraceGains was listed as one of Food Logistics Top 100 software and technology providers. Follow TraceGains on Twitter at @tracegains.

TraceGains, Inc.
http://www.tracegains.com
Jennifer Brusco
Marketing Strategist
pr@tracegains.com
720-465-9400