The FDA food labels your product needs depend on the specific product you’re selling. Five components are required for all food packaging labels. Keep reading to learn more about the most essential FDA food label requirements.
Nutrition Facts
The nutrition facts are the most familiar and perplexing part of any FDA food label. An FDA nutrition facts label contains information regarding the nutritional value, serving size, vitamins, and minerals present in the food.
According to the FDA, nutrition labels should be placed next to the ingredients list within a box. The box helps consumers know where to look for nutritional information.
On the FDA nutrition label, you should accurately display the nutrition designations in your product. That means measuring the number of carbohydrates, protein, fats, or any additional nutritional content and including them on the label.
The nutrition facts should also include a serving size based on weight, volume, or numerical content. The serving size should be placed near the top of the FDA nutrition label, right below the bold “Nutrition Facts” heading.
Product Name and Identity
In large font, you need to display what your product is. The product name and identity may be the same for some products, like canned corn. With other products, like Hawaiian Punch, you need the product name and identity, which is fruit punch.
The FDA recommends putting the product name on the front of the package, with the font parallel to the package’s base. They recommend this for FDA food labels because consumers can more easily identify their purchasing product.
Product’s Net Weight or Total Contents
The product’s net weight tells consumers how much of your product is in the package. You can express net weight on labels in either weight, volume, or numerical count.
The weight or content measurement must be on the same side as the product name and identity. The weight must be a distinct item. The net measurement must be placed on the bottom third of the packaging.
Ingredients List
The FDA states that an ingredient list is a label that lists the number of ingredients in descending order of weight in the product. Put simply, you should list the ingredient that weighs the most in a product first, then the next heaviest, and so on. Every ingredient you add to the product must be on this list. The FDA does this not only for nutritional purposes but also for allergies and health issues.
The ingredients list should be beside or below the nutrition facts. The FDA food label guide dictates this as their best practice because it allows consumers to see what’s in their food and the nutritional facts.
Manufacturer or Importer Location
FDA food labels need to include the address of the manufacturer or the importer’s address for imported products. The FDA requires the name and address of the product manufacturer. If that’s not possible to get, the distribution or importer’s name and address will suffice.
The manufacturer’s location is usually near the base of the product package. The font must contrast well against whatever background color you choose for the rest of the label.
