In the past year or two, there has been a marketing push in different segments of the food industry to label products as “natural.” This push stems from the premium that “natural” products command in the marketplace. Since there are no specific regulations standardizing this term, each individual company’s regulatory group has had to come up with its own definition, which has caused confusion in the food industry.
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Intended Audience(s): Product Developers, Management, Sales & Marketing, Research Staff, Regulators, Academics, Students Learning Level(s): Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Member Registration Fee: $55 Presentation Date: 09/25/09 12:00 AM
Ricardo Carvajal Director Hyman, Phelps & McNamara PC
Ricardo Carvajal is Director with Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C., the largest dedicated food and drug law firm in the U.S. His practice focuses on regulatory issues that pertain to the manufacture and marketing of foods, including dietary supplements. He has worked on GMP and HACCP compliance issues, and on a wide array of labeling compliance issues, including those that arise from the use of health, nutrient content, structure/function, and disease claims. He has particular expertise in the regulation of products derived through biotechnology and nanotechnology. From 2002 to 2007, he served as Associate Chief Counsel in FDA's Office of Chief Counsel, where his work was recognized with several individual and team awards. He is an active member of the Institute of Food Technologists, the Food and Drug Law Institute, and the American Bar Association. He holds a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and an M.S. in Biology from the University of Michigan. Mr. Carvajal is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Carolyn Fisher
Carolyn Fisher received her B.S. from Wayne State Univ. (1972) and Ph.D. from Stanford Univ. (1978). Her career moved from Research (Kalsec, 1978-1991) to Teacher (Univ.of Delaware, 1992-1996) to Book Author (Flavours: Biology & Chemistry, 1997). At McCormick & Co., Carolyn moved from Quality Assurance (1996-2005) to Regulatory (2005-2010) to managing the electronic storage of knowledge (2011). Currently, Carolyn is a Senior Scientist working on the global regulatory database that the food industry knows as gComply and gComply+. (Decernis, 2012 – present). An active IFT member, Carolyn is an instructor for the IFT short course, Labeling Requirements and Implications for Foods Marketed in the U.S.(2008 – present).
Sanford Walker Bigelow, PHD Consultant Vanguard Global Associates LLC
Sandy Bigelow is a research and development professional with more than 20 years of experience in leading global technology responsibilities in the food and nutrition industries. He has a proven track record of envisioning, designing, and implementing strategies to meet and exceed global research and development, regulatory, and marketing challenges. He is successful in defining mutual objectives, building consensus, and developing strategies to create new product opportunities. Sandy is a Board Certified Toxicologist with proven ability to craft product opportunities based on the safety and efficacy of novel proprietary, bioactive ingredients. Sandy Bigelow is consulting for Vanguard Global Associates, a firm that provides consulting services in the areas of product development, issues management, safety and regulatory affairs to the food and nutritional, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries. Sandy has worked for large companies including Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, and Pfizer, as well as for several small and early-stage companies including Larex and Neways Intl. Sandy has both extensive industry and government experience in global food and nutritional issues including new product development, claims substantiation, bioactive and product safety, and clinical affairs. He has been active in International Life Sciences Institute, International Food Information Council, Council for Responsible Nutrition, and Codex Alimentarius Commission activities for more than 15 years.
Rosalyn Murphy-Jenkins USDA
Rosalyn Murphy-Jenkins is a Senior Technical Advisor on the Labeling and Program Delivery Division in the Office of Policy, Program Development, in the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). As part of the Office of Policy, Program Development, the Staff has primary responsibility for the development and delivery of USDA policies and programs on food labeling, food standards, and used in the safe production of meat, poultry, and egg products distributed in domestic commerce and exported to the United States. This division is also responsible the development of policy regarding product amenability, inspection coverage requirements, reimbursable services, exemptions to inspection, and related issues. She has been in labeling for the past 17 years and deals with general food standards and labeling issues with a primary focus on international labeling issues including import/export labeling, and country of origin issues. Her academic accomplishments include a Bachelors of Science in Food Science from the Pennsylvania State University in 1988.
Tammie Myrick USDA
Ms. Myrick is a food technologist with the Labeling and Program Delivery Division (LPDD), within the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). She is a member of LPDD team that provides evaluation for food labeling and food additives used in the safe production of meat, poultry and egg product distributed in domestic commerce and exported to the United States. Her major responsibilities concern developing food standards and policy guidelines for the meat, poultry and egg product industry. She has 23 years of service with the USDA. During the past 12 years her focus has primarily been on animal husbandry claims, natural claims and organic labeling regulations as well as working jointly with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (Livestock and Seed Standardization Branch in the development of standards for livestock and meat marketing claims) and (the National Organic Program in the organic labeling requirements for meat, poultry and egg products). Before joining the labeling staff she worked as an Emergency Loan Officer for the Farmers Home Administration (FHA), a Food Inspector and during college she was a summer intern with the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). In 1980 Ms. Myrick received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from North Carolina Agricultural &Technical State University and her certification in Food Technology in 1991form the University of Mississippi.