Kinzinger & Schrader Introduce Accurate Labels Act

Statement

Today, Congressmen Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) introduced H.R. 6044, the Accurate Labels Act, to provide clear, accurate, and meaningful nutrition information to consumers across America. This bipartisan legislation would also prevent the companies from issuing inaccurate labels that mislead consumers and drive up prices.

The Accurate Labels Act would amend the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act to ensure consumers continue to benefit from the nutritional and allergy information on packaging today. Congressmen Kinzinger and Schrader introduced this legislation in June 2018 along with a Senate companion bill. Upon reintroducing the measure today, they released the following statements:

"Consumers deserve full transparency on the products they're buying, no matter where they live or shop. Often times, due to various state laws, items are incorrectly labeled with warnings about harms that do not exist. This inaccuracy creates confusion and fear for the consumers, desensitizes the public from heeding serious warnings on health risks, and imposes unnecessary and costly regulatory burdens for producers," said Congressman Kinzinger. "Today, I'm proud to introduce bipartisan legislation with my colleague, Rep. Schrader, as we work to establish science-based criteria for labeling requirements, while still ensuring that legitimate risks are taken seriously. The Accurate Labels Act is a commonsense measure to guarantee clear and accurate product labels for consumers."

"American consumers are demanding more information about the safety of the products that they purchase for their families," said Congressman Schrader. "That's why I'm proud to join my colleague Rep. Kinzinger (R-IL) in introducing bipartisan legislation to establish science-based criteria for labeling requirements to ensure that consumers are given accurate information about the products that they use every day. We want to make sure our constituents have confidence in the information they are receiving so they are able to make informed decisions about the products that they use."

The Accurate Labels Act ensures that consumers have access to accurate and easy-to-understand product information by:

Establishing science-based criteria for all additional state and local labeling requirements;
Allowing state-mandated product information to be provided through smartphone-enabled "smart labels" and on websites, where consumers can find up-to-date, relevant ingredients and warnings; and
Ensuring that covered product information is risk-based.
This legislation is supported by the Coalition for Accurate Product Labels, which includes the American Chemistry Council, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, and the National Products Association, among many other trade organizations.

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