Labeling Food Products
Regarding labeling food products, the FDA has clear guidelines and regulations that your business needs to adhere to stay compliant. We know this can be daunting, so we’ve put together a list of everything you’ll need to include on your packaging, and if you still have questions you can always schedule a consultation with us!
Statement of Identity
First things first, your packaging needs to feature the legal name of your product (for example, Oreos), the common name (for example, sandwich cookies), and if those are not relevant to your product, a description of the food item (for example, Cream-filled cookies.) This is not to be confused with the brand name, which would be Nabisco.
Net Quantity of Contents
The next item you’ll need to include is the net quantity of contents, which, simply put, is the amount of product in the food package. This can be measured in fluid ounces, weight, or number of items in the package. For example, a carton of orange juice should include fluid ounces, a cereal box should include grams of cereal, and a package of Oreos should include the number of cookies in the package.
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition facts table is the most important part of labeling your product. This informs the consumer of crucial dietary information about your product. The FDA requires that the following information be included:
- Serving size
- Household measure/common household unit
- Servings per container
- Mandatory nutrients (total calories, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total sugars, added sugars, protein, vitamin D, calcium, iron, potassium)
Ingredients
Next, you’ll need to include a list of ingredients used in your food item. The ingredients should be listed in descending order by weight and must be legible to the consumer(at least 1/16” tall.)
Allergens
The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protections Act, or FALCPA, is an amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and requires that the label of a food that contains an ingredient that is or contains protein from a "major food allergen " declare the presence of the allergen in the manner described by the law. Major food allergens include; milk, eggs, fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod), Crustacean shellfish (e.g., crab, lobster, shrimp), tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans), peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.
Manufacturing/Distribution Info
The FDA also requires that food labels include the name of the manufacturer (or packer/distributor, accompanied by a qualifying phrase that states the firm’s relationship to the product, e.g., “manufactured for” or “distributed by”) and the full street address.
When it comes to staying compliant with FDA regulations, you want to be sure that you don’t miss anything in your label creation. We hope this guide will help you create the perfect label for your food item, contact us today to get them printed!
