Genesis R&D Foods Version 11.11 Includes Sesame as U.S. Allergen, Menu Label Reports, and More
Software program: Genesis R&D Foods
The latest release of Genesis R&D Foods, Version 11.11 was released in October 2021. This software update includes the addition of sesame as an allergen for U.S. packaging, revisions to the Nutrient Content Claims for the U.S. and Canada labeling modules, and other program improvements.
See these features in action! Watch our on-demand webinar, Genesis R&D Foods 11.11 Update Overview. Additional details about this release can be found in the software release notes.
U.S. Label Module Updates
U.S. Allergen Statement: Sesame
Earlier this year, Sesame was added as the 9th major U.S. allergen. All foods entering interstate commerce on or after January 1, 2023, that contain sesame must declare sesame as an allergen per the FALPCA regulations. (Check out our blog to learn more about the FASTER Act and How to Declare Sesame as an Allergen in Genesis R&D Foods)
Sesame Seeds has always been included as an allergen in the database for compliance with regulations in Canada and the EU. To address the new U.S. regulation, the allergen has been renamed as Sesame/Sesame Seeds and is now available in the list of U.S. Allergens. When checked, Sesame will automatically be added to the allergen “Contains” statement and appear on the View Label report.
As a result of this update, you may see Sesame appear as an allergen on your Ingredients and Recipes. Please review this support article to learn how this change may affect your data.
Here is the list of allergens you should see:
List of U.S. Only Allergens
List of All Allergens
U.S. Label Nutrient Content Claims
The U.S. Nutrient Content Claims feature now includes additional claims guidance.
For products that bear a Nutrient Content Claim, such as “High in Fiber” an additional disclosure statement is required as part of the claim (e.g. “See nutrition information for ___ content”) if any of the following is true:
- Fat > 13 g
- Sat Fat > 4 g
- Cholesterol > 60 mg
- Sodium > 480 mg
Now, when a Nutrient Content Claim is selected in Genesis R&D, the program will also evaluate the nutritional content for Fat, Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium, and will apply the additional disclaimer statement for any nutrient that is above the threshold.
For example, this Recipe qualifies for the “Good source of Fiber” claim, however, the sodium content is greater than 480 mg per RACC amount.
As a result, Genesis R&D added the following disclaimer statement next to the Nutrient Content Claim on the View Label page:
Menu Label Module Report Updates
This update introduces one new report for the Menu Label modules and improves upon existing reports.
This update also includes a new Nutrients to View set for restaurant menu labeling that provides the US 2016 nutrients, plus Calories from Fat and gram weight.
Updates to the Menu Label Report
As per the FDA regulations, restaurants are required to provide additional nutrition information upon request. The Menu Label report was developed to help meet this requirement and allows you to display additional nutritional information as well as price, ingredient statement, allergen information, and more.
This latest update includes seven additional reporting fields:
- User Code
- Gram Weight
- Attributes
- Product Code
- Supplier
- Modified Date
- Create Date
The available sections and columns are now accessed by a pull-down menu and not as checkboxes on the upper part of the Menu Label view.
Nutrient Report Improvements
The Nutrient Report (previously called Standard Nutrient Report) displays your menu items along with their nutrient breakdowns as required by the menu labeling regulations. This report now includes the 2,000 calorie-a-day footnote and the printed version has been formatted for more clarity.
Canadian Label Module Improvements
Nutrient Content Claims
To address user questions about some unclear points in the claims regulations, we reached out to Health Canada and made modifications accordingly.
In order to make a nutrient content claim on food products sold in Canada, the actual, unrounded nutrient amounts must meet the qualifying conditions per both the serving size and reference amount. Genesis R&D reflects this clarification, and we have added a new column so you can see both the serving size and reference amounts.
Additional Canadian Label Updates
- Allergen and ingredient statement titles default to bold and cannot be unbolded, per the regulations.
- French Canadian labels and Bilingual labels with French set as the primary language will display commas instead of decimal points.
General User Interface Improvements
Recipe Exporting
The Recipe export options on the Recipe screen and the View Label screen have been consolidated and now all appear on the far right of the Ribbon.
Record Saving
All options for saving your record (Recipe, Menu Label, etc.) have been moved to the Home ribbon to be more easily accessible.
