In 1967 the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA or Act), enacted by the U.S. Congress directs the Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration to issue regulations requiring that all “consumer commodities” be labeled to disclose net contents, identity of commodity, and name and place of business of the product’s manufacturer, packer, or distributor.

The Act authorizes additional regulations where necessary to prevent consumer deception (or to facilitate value comparisons) with respect to descriptions of ingredients, slack fill of packages, use of “cents-off” or lower price labeling, or characterization of package sizes. The Office of Weights and Measures of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce, is authorized to promote to the greatest practicable extent uniformity in State and Federal regulation of the labeling of consumer commodities.

The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act required all consumer products in interstate commerce to be honestly and informatively labeled, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforcing provisions on foods, drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices.