Why we’re speaking to FDA

Today, I’m representing Chobani in a unique step: providing remarks at a public session to inform the FDA’s Comprehensive Multi-Year Nutrition Innovation Strategy. And I thought I’d take an opportunity to share why.

It’s a unique day—and step—for two reasons. 

First, for us. As a 10-year-old, independent food company, we’ve been reluctant to engage on nutrition policy issues and instead focus on what we like to say, making ‘better food for more people.” We believe in transparency, we believe in choice and we believe in the responsibility of every food maker to offer better options to more people. It is our founding mission and much of that is expressed in simply what we make (not what we say).

But the session FDA is hosting is also unique. It commences an in-depth review of the evolving food landscape, with the goal of better aligning food standards of identity, the claims process, and nutrition labeling education with rapid, extensive innovation in the industry. It is badly needed and we applaud FDA for its initiative.

We’ve never seen this amount of change and innovation in our food industry, which means sessions like these can have a profound impact on public health.

The result will be simple and powerful: words.

Words matter to consumers. Whether you’re a parent, an athlete or a person with diabetes, words (and the claims they make) describe important things about the foods you’re eating and the nutritional benefits those foods may offer. 

For a great deal of time, dairy has come to mean something very specific—as specific as the difference between “meat” and “vegetable”; “water” or “soda.” And dairy has uniquely come to mean a nutrient dense option with minimal processing. That’s an important, unique benefit to consumers. And it’s worth protecting.

We’re not anti-dairy. We’re not anti-plant-based. 

But considering the stakes of this process, and the mission of our company, and our responsibility as a food maker, we feel a deep sense of responsibility to share this perspective and work with regulators and the food industry to protect and empower consumers.

Specifically, we urged the following:

• If innovation in our industry is to continue and to be encouraged, the development of updated standards needs to be timely. Public/private partnerships can help facilitate that. 
• The importance of terminology reaches beyond standards of identity – the same attention should be given to definitions and claims, many of which are the first thing consumers are looking for when making nutritional decisions. 
• We hope our insights help guide FDA in their efforts to update and improve policies that support nutrition innovation and protect the health of consumers. 

Our mission remains clear: making universal wellness happen sooner.

Today’s discussion is another step towards making that a reality and we’re honored by the opportunity to partner with the policy agency that America relies on to protect and inform consumers.