The Food Institute provided an educational webinar series with a focus on Food Labeling. Two 2-hour webinar events explored labeling from both a consumer perspective and from a mandatory, legal perspective.

Session #1 (Oct. 25, 2011) RECORDED
From nutrition panels and ingredient lists to front-of-package claims and certifications, what are today's consumers looking at and looking for on product labels and in-store, at-shelf signage? Join consumer researchers, The Hartman Group, as they define how consumers navigate the maze of information and messaging displayed on food products and store shelves.
Immediately following will be an information session on government-mandated labeling information, brought to you by OFW Law, the nation's premier FDA and USDA law firm. Be acquainted with proper protocol on establishing "correct" food labels and ways to avoid costly mistakes.

Session #2 (Nov. 1, 2011) RECORDED
OFW Law returns with time-sensitive information on what's new and what's coming to the labeling arena. Explore topics such as My Plate, "gluten free", "whole grain", menu labeling, vending machine proposed rules and much more.
Closing our webinar event will be Dr. Paula Trumbo, Acting Director of the Nutritions Program at Food & Drug Administration (FDA), who will speak about the changes that FDA is considering for the Nutrition Facts panel.

A brief Question and Answer session followedf each event.

Understanding Food Labels 2011 Webinar (2 part) - $399 RECORDED*
Understanding Food Labels Webinar (Session #1 Only) - $229 RECORDED*
Understanding Food Labels Webinar (Session #2 Only) - $229 RECORDED*
**Special 10% Discount available for Food Institute Members ** (Contact Sue at 201-791-5570 ext. 212 to request promo code) *In order to view the Recordings you must have Windows Media Player installed on your computer. Please Note: These files (Session One- 35.0MB and Session Two- 24.0MB) will take several minutes to download. A connection speed of 56kbps or higher is recommended.

About Dr. Paula R. Trumbo

Paula R. Trumbo, Ph.D. is acting division director of nutrition programs and supervisor of the nutrition science review team at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration where she oversees the scientific review of health claims using an evidence-based review system developed by her team. This review system has been used to evaluate approximately 75 petitioned health claims. She is also leading the process for revising the Nutrition/Supplements Facts label, including the Daily Values. She is a member of the Health and Human Services Senior Biomedical Research Service. From 1998 to 2003, she served as Senior Program Officer at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) where she directed expert study panels, including those that revised the Dietary Reference Intakes for micronutrients (IOM, 2001), macronutrients (IOM, 2002), and electrolytes and water (IOM, 2005). She was Associate Director of the Human Nutrition Institute at the International Life Sciences Institute from 1994 to 1998. Prior to this, she was associate professor of nutritional biochemistry at Purdue University. She received her Ph.D. in biochemistry, with a minor in nutrition, at North Carolina State University.

About Ms. Melissa Abbott

Ms. Abbott has been tracking key trends in the health, wellness and food industries for over fifteen years. She has extensive experience in ethnographic research and is a culinary expert with clients ranging from Kraft Foods to The Golden Door in California to gastro pubs in Ireland. Among the first to analyze the European soy foods sector and evolving natural/organic products consumer in the UK, Melissa has developed a deep understanding of cultural trends in her consultations with a variety of companies including food producers for recipe development and bringing their products to market. She has appeared on The Food Network. Melissa lends her culinary background and expertise to the insights, analysis and features on HartmanSalt, the Hartman Group’s online portal into the world of foods and beverages. Melissa is a long distance cyclist, teacher, and yoga enthusiast.

About Mr. Robert A. Hahn

Mr. Hahn is a principal at OFW Law. He advises companies and trade associations on compliance with Food and Drug Administration law and regulations, with a primary focus on foods. The core of his practice consists of advising food and dietary supplement companies – including manufacturers, processors, distributors, and retailers – on labeling and advertising, formulation, import/export, Bioterrorism Act and food defense, inspection, recall, and enforcement matters. Mr. Hahn also practices health care law, with a focus on the Medicare program. He joined the firm in 1998 after serving for several years as Director of Legal Affairs at the consumer group Public Voice for Food and Health Policy (now merged with the Consumer Federation of America). Prior to that, he worked in Guangzhou, China with the U.S. law firm Lewis, D'Amato, Brisbois, Bisgaard, Buxbaum & Choi (now Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP). He is proficient in Mandarin Chinese. Mr. Hahn was born in New Hyde Park, New York and graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University in 1980. He earned his J.D. from Columbia University Law School in 1984 and a master's degree in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1994. Mr. Hahn was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1985 and the District of Columbia Bar in 2001. He is currently a member of the New York and District of Columbia Bar.

About Mr. Bruce A. Silverglade

Mr. Silverglade is a principal with the Washington, DC law firm OFW Law. Mr. Silverglade works on devising creative solutions to controversies involving a wide variety of food policy issues including food labeling, advertising, safety, nutrition policy, and dietary supplements. He has extensive experience with such matters on both the national and international levels, having worked with top officials at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Canadian government, the European Commission, and international health agencies including the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the World Health Organization. Mr. Silverglade is a 2010 recipient of the Food and Drug Law Institute’s Distinguished Service and Leadership Award. His practice includes regulatory policy development and enforcement, legislation, and appellate litigation. He has filed petitions for enforcement action with the FTC leading to precedent setting decisions by the U.S. Court of Appeals that have guided FTC enforcement policy for more than two decades. He continues to remain active in FTC enforcement issues involving food advertising. He has long been involved with FDA enforcement policies related to the regulation of health, structure/function, and nutrition claims and worked to resolve regulatory challenges concerning food additive safety and harmonization of international food safety standards. Prior to joining OFW Law, Mr. Silverglade was Director of Legal Affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. Bridging the gap between health organizations and the food industry, he organized a bipartisan coalition effort that culminated in the enactment of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA). Furthermore, he has served as lead counsel in U.S. Court of Appeals cases, successfully challenging arbitrary and capricious actions by regulatory agencies, and testified before Congress on more than 25 occasions, effectively advocating the interests of non-governmental organizations on both legislative and appropriations matters. Mr. Silverglade has published dozens of law journal and public policy articles on food regulation, as well as opinion pieces in the New York Times, USA Today, and Los Angeles Times. He has extensive public relations experience, appearing on nationally televised news programs in the United States and throughout the world including the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, ABC Nightline, PBS/NPR, BBC, CCTV (China), and Al Jazeera. Prior to joining CSPI, Mr. Silverglade worked as a trial attorney at the FTC. Mr. Silverglade received his BA, cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in political science from the University of Illinois and his JD from Boston College, where, in conjunction with obtaining his law degree, he studied Law and Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.