With a career at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that spanned nearly two decades, I knew well what was in store when I joined the Consumer Brands Association as the vice president of regulatory affairs earlier this year. Joining Consumer Brands was consistent with my understanding of the important role industry plays. While FDA is a science-based agency with an important public health mission, it is, of course, also a regulatory agency. And the agency often looks to many in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry for their perspective and information in doing its regulatory work. So, the decision to work for the industry we represent — the CPG industry — was an easy one.
It is rewarding to understand industry even better. It also is meaningful to me to facilitate conversations during this unique time and to acknowledge the importance of FDA’s work. And having been on the regulatory side and now representing the makers of the brands American consumers reach for every day, I know how imperative it is that meeting consumers where they are goes beyond ensuring supply meets demand. It means anticipating what consumers want through thoughtful innovation and promoting collaboration with federal regulators to keep a trust built over decades through the industry’s long-held commitment to transparency. No industry is closer to the consumer, and the industry has looked to transparency as a guiding principle to ensure consumers always have insight into the products they choose.
This isn’t some fad or quick pivot the industry is making. Transparency has long been entrenched in the industry’s ethos, evidenced by the real tools and resources that we’re continuing to invest in moving forward. It is critical that we continue to fill the spaces with easily accessible facts when consumers are seeking information about our products.
Let’s rewind, briefly: CPG companies knew consumers wanted easy and thorough access to information about their food and beverage products, so the industry worked with FDA to champion the landmark Nutrition and Labeling Education Act of 1990. Not only did this legislation standardize the nutrition information found on food labels but it also led to the creation of the Nutrition Facts label consumers still rely on today.
The CPG industry was only just getting started. In 2012, we saw the growing desire for increased access to simple, concise information and introduced Facts up Front®, (FUF): a voluntary, industry-led initiative that provides at-a-glance product nutrition information pulled from the Nutrition Facts label to help consumers more easily compare products and make informed choices, before they even check the back label.
The industry has researched, invested in and implemented FUF because it’s an easy-to-use system that effectively communicates the key nutrients and nutritional facts that consumers seek. Companies can opt to include “nutrients to encourage” on the front of the package, like dietary fiber, protein, vitamin D, calcium, iron and potassium. There is even the option for just one fact — like calories per serving — to be used on products with less space for content on their packaging.
In fact, Consumer Brands research showed that the FUF tool continues to have the information consumers want, and importantly, is widely recognized among consumers in 2025: 90% of American adults in a survey said they are aware of the FUF label. Not only are they aware of it, but nearly eight in 10 (79%) said they check the label when shopping.
When the industry recognized another shift: consumers wanted to know more than what was on the label, CPG companies moved to ensure that access was in the palm of consumers’ hands. Enter SmartLabel®: the platform that connects consumers to more information that can fit on most packaging, all with the scan of a QR code found on participating product packaging.
For the last decade, SmartLabel, which can be found on nearly 100,000 products, has helped consumers make informed choices. With the scan of the QR code, SmartLabel connects consumers with additional information about ingredients, including allergen information and package recycling instructions.
Leveraging these tools and continuing to hone and advance their usefulness was just the beginning, as we’ve continued to see gaps where consumers are seeking further insight into the products they use every day, and where we can meet them with facts and resources. Since 2023, we’ve launched FoodProcessingFacts.org and TruthAboutIngredients.org, both of which aim to help consumers cut through noise online and find clear, information that ultimately serves to protect consumer choice and brands’ ability to continue innovating to meet consumers’ evolving needs.
When I said it was meaningful to take a career built at the FDA to an organization that understands the breadth and importance of the work undertaken by the agency to support the companies that make the products consumers reach for every day, it wasn’t just conjecture. The CPG industry and regulators have to work together in pursuit of consumers’ uninterrupted access to safe, affordable products that align with their ever-evolving preferences and needs. I look forward to continuing the work with federal agencies on many shared priorities as it relates to consumer transparency and safety.
Published on December 4, 2025
