FOOD SAFETY - FOOD LABELING SPECIALIST FOOD LABELING SPECIALIST - FOOD SAFETY 35 36 3. Food Labeling Specialists Participate in Meetings If a product technologist develops a new food product formulation of ice cream, they must uphold standards of identity created by food regulating bodies. FLSs participate in team brainstorming meetings to provide creative options and solutions, assisting brands in the development of new product names and claims. They ensure that product formulations adhere to proper naming principles to prevent companies from falling into trouble down the line. For example, ice cream has a standard of identity according to the CFIA that states if a manufacturer wants to call a product “ice cream”, it must have a certain percentage of cream in a formulation. Food labeling specialists know this information and communicate it to product development during brainstorming meetings. 4. Food Labeling Specialists Must Keep Up with Regulations Keeping up with changes in food regulations is a core task of any FLS. Food labeling regulations constantly change as consumer habits change and more scientific studies are conducted. In Canada, food labeling regulations are dictated by the CFIA, while in the United States, these regulations are created by the FDA. To stay on top of changes in food regulations, FLSs become members of key trade associations and groups, participate in conferences and enroll in newsletters from law makers. Eventually these professionals become in-house experts or consultants regarding compliance of product claims and inform the rest of their team. 5. Food Labeling Specialists Contribute to Food Labeling Software Programs For a FLS, being organized means pulling up any food label at any time with ease. Most facilities use specialized software, such as Genesis and ESHA, to store information on food labels. It is the responsibility of a Food Labeling Specialist to contribute to the maintenance of the food labeling software programs. Maintenance includes updating ingredient information if changes are made to a supplier and changing the nutritional formulation of a product if R&D changes a product recipe. 6. Food Labeling Specialists Develop and Provide Technical Information Food labeling specialists become experts on products in their company due to their familiarity with label and food regulations. FLSs communicate labeling requirements to Quality Assurance, Research and Development Technologists, and Packaging Engineers other stakeholders. For example, some companies will base their formulations on how it will look on a food label. Consumers today are concerned with having “clean” labels which is determined by what ingredients are present and how they are defined on a label. High fructose corn syrup can’t just be written as “sugar” but instead highfructose corn syrup. FLSs are in tune with these ingredient nuances. 7. Food Labeling Specialists Keep Up with Multiple Projects Food labeling specialists juggle multiple projects at once. These projects might include maintaining databases, verifying multiple food labels and updating their knowledge of current food regulations. FLSs effectively manage multiple projects by setting manageable goals, keeping to a schedule and tracking progress. 8. Food Labeling Specialists Pay Attention to Details, Prioritize and Use Customer Service Skills Being a Food Labeling Specialist requires a wide range of skills. However, there are a few which are more essential than others. These skills include: • Attention to detail - Nothing about a label can be wrong. Even the smallest incorrect detail can mean huge repercussions for a company down the line. FLSs review new packaging proofs during every design stage to ensure accuracy and proper grammar. To successfully achieve correct and accurate results, they must have an eye for detail. • Prioritization skills - These professionals work on various projects daily. To adhere to deadlines, Food Labeling Specialists must prioritize their time, knowing what task is the most urgent. There is limited day-to-day supervision and guidance when handling... ...unique situations. Releases on products are tight especially with holiday promotions. • Customer service skills - Although FLSs don’t personally deal with customers, they do work with outside companies. These professionals have excellent communication skills and customer service skills to tactfully work with all levels of personnel. For example, they may work with a technical sales rep when they to learn more about an unfamiliar ingredient and how it should be labeled. To fully understand how to read the nutritional labels on Canadian products, click the photo to visit the Government of Canada’s website on this matter. Photo by courtneyk/E+/GettyImages PhotobyARMMYPICCA/iStock/GettyImagesPlus Photo by Drazen Zigic/iStock/GettyImagesPlus Photo by AndreyPopov/iStock/GettyImagesPlus Photo by eyfoto/iStock/GettyImagesPlus “A couple of students have asked me about the similarities and differences of having a food science degree and a nutrition degree. At first, I had always made a distinction that a food science degree is to process food better and nutrition is to see how food affects the body. Though this is generally true, can the degrees be interchangeable when it comes to getting an entry level job?” An excerpt from the blog “Food Science Vs Nutrition” Click the photo to read all about it! Hi! I’m Quinton, the FoodGrads Bot! For any questions please come visit me at FoodGrads.com!
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