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By HELENA BOTTEMILLER EVICH and TARINI PARTI |
2/27/14 4:11 PM EST Updated: 2/27/14 5:07 PM EST
First lady Michelle Obama’s move to limit junk food marketing in schools and revamp nutrition labels is just the latest salvo in an intensifying battle royale with the food industry.
The Obama administration — arguably the most active on food policy in the past century — has issued a slew of new rules over the past few years to reform everything from the steps companies take to guarantee the safety of imported food to the banning of trans fat to completely overhauling what children eat in public schools.
With regulation after regulation in the federal pipeline and calls for soda taxes and mandatory labeling for genetically modified foods in certain cities and states, the industry is bracing for an onslaught of changes that are expected to cost billions and involve both reformulating products and disclosing more information to consumers than ever before.
“I can certainly see how the industry might feel like they are being targeted by the administration,” said Bruce Silverglade, a principal at Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Matz, which advises food companies in Washington.
“I wish the administration would take a step back,” said Baylen Linnekin, executive director of Keep Food Legal, a food freedom advocacy group, and a professor at American University. “I would imagine [the food industry] has the same whiplash as someone like me or you who has just been trying to keep up with these changes.”
Though highly engaged in all the policymaking, the food industry is more than a bit overwhelmed and has to be careful about how it is perceived if it fights back against policies that are pitched as a way of curbing obesity rates and giving consumers more information. Although industry groups are publicly saying they welcome the Nutrition Facts update unveiled this week and Obama’s efforts, many companies are expected to fight tooth and nail on the details.