The food and beverage industry has to comply with an increasing number of guidelines and restrictions that vary by location. The industry is challenged continuously by evolving regulatory requirements related to substances, labeling, claims, origin of ingredients and packaging. Even though the industry encourages a global shift to strengthen and improve product labeling to help consumers make more informed choices, food and beverage manufacturers still need to follow country specific regulations. This can quickly become cumbersome and overwhelming.
Laws and regulations are continually evolving with significant differences from one country to another, impacting each and every department of a company. In fact, those regulations impact every step of a product development, from R&D to marketing through procurement and quality. Non conformity can be both costly and damaging for a brand image. In addition to these challenges, product development needs to be more and more innovative as it becomes increasingly complex to put products on the market.