AI regulation in consumer goods

U.S. federal agencies

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Primary authority for food and beverage manufacturers and, under MoCRA, for cosmetics. AI operating in quality inspection, allergen management, certificate of analysis generation, HACCP monitoring, or regulatory documentation inherits FDA's validation and documentation requirements. The FDA has not issued AI-specific guidance for most CPG contexts, but FSMA preventive controls, current good manufacturing practices, and MoCRA adverse event reporting apply to AI-assisted decisions now. AI outputs used in regulatory submissions must be traceable to tested results, not modeled estimates.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Enforces advertising substantiation requirements. AI-generated marketing claims must meet the same evidentiary standards as human-generated claims.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Governs label claims for household cleaning products, disinfectants, and products containing regulated substances. AI content generation must draw from pre-approved, registration-accurate claim language. AI logistics systems must treat hazardous materials transport requirements as hard constraints rather than optimization variables.

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Covers household products, personal care devices, and other categories outside FDA jurisdiction. AI systems that generate recall notifications or safety communications are directly subject to CPSC requirements. Any AI contributing to product safety communications needs a human review checkpoint before distribution.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Employers using AI in recruiting, screening, evaluation, or scheduling remain legally responsible and cannot transfer liability to a vendor. A qualified human must sit in the decision chain for every adverse employment outcome, with genuine independent judgment rather than nominal review.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Creates obligations for AI that interacts with physical equipment, influences operator behavior, or affects safety-critical processes. Warehouse robotics, production line sequencing, and maintenance alerting all operate where failures cause immediate physical harm.

Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)
Ingredient standards, nutrient profiles, and labeling for pet food and animal feed. Enforced by state feed control officials, with violations capable of triggering FDA enforcement. The distinction between modeled and tested values is legally significant.