KANSAS CITY – The Food and Drug Administration took a closer look at gluten-free labeling and trans fat during the year – and new regulations posed new challenges for food companies.

With the F.D.A.’s conclusion that partially hydrogenated oils no longer belong on the list of ingredients generally recognized as safe, some food makers questioned how product quality may be affected.

Meanwhile, consumer scrutiny over natural claims and ingredients has heightened, spurring a class-action suit against Cargill’s Truvia sweetener brand and widespread debate over bioengineered organisms.