Before the truth was mandatory: The birth of packaging regulation
 

Packagers should tell the truth to consumers. Of course. That much nobody would openly deny. But since the first time people stuffed concoctions into jars and tried to sell them, there has been the temptation to embellish the reality of what’s inside.

Or cover it up altogether.

The things packagers got away with not that long ago are staggering in the context of today’s heavily regulated consumer products environment. But the shift from those wild, unrestricted days of packaging to the current, more responsible labeling practices are relatively recent. It was just some four decades ago that the U.S. government passed the first truly effective comprehensive legislation to force packagers to disclose key aspects of their products.

Many of us – including me – were barely crawling out of the crib when that law, the 1966 Truth in Packaging bill, was passed. Others in our profession may have forgotten just how big of a change it really was.

For that reason, it’s worth revisiting. Here are some excellent places to learn more about this key piece of legislation:

Truth in packaging gets the go-ahead: a brief overview of the 1966 bill and its signing.

Lyndon Johnson’s Remarks at the Signing of the Truth-in-Packaging Bill: A compelling snippet of history, which helps set the tone and the context for the bill.

A Comprehensive Look at the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1966 and the FDA Regulation of Deceptive Labeling and Packaging Practices: 1906 to Today
An excellent study of how packaging regulations have evolved, culminating in the 1966 Fair Packaging and Labeling Act.

Posted by David Bellm