Learn How to Create a Nutrition Facts Label for Food Products
There are many different places to shop for food, just as there are many different products to buy. But whether you’re shopping at your local nature store or a big-name grocery store, all the products have one thing in common, nutrition labels.
Nutrition labels are a very important aspect of food packaging because they break down exactly what the product is made of. Not only does this help the FDA regulate what’s being sold to consumers, but it's also crucial for those with allergies or sensitivities such as
Celiac disease. In this blog, we’ll cover what exactly needs to be provided on your nutrition label before you hit “print.”
Serving Sizes and Servings Per Package – Serving size is the first and most important piece of any label since consumption is based on how many servings there are per product. Serving size can be measured in a lot of ways, from cups to tablespoons, to milliliters or grams. It all depends on the product
Calories – Second to serving size, calories are the most commonly looked at nutrition fact and can be calculated in two ways: if the serving contains 50 calories or less, the number must be shown in increments of 5, but for servings with 50 calories or more, the number must be shown in increments of 10
Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, and Total Fat – All three variations of fat must be included in the breakdown. Saturated and trans fat can be left off the label if there are 0.5 grams or less, however, for total fat the FDA recommends using the AOAC Official Method of Analysis
Cholesterol – Cholesterol must be listed right under the breakdown of the fat and can be shown as cholesterol per serving in 5 mg increments
Sodium – Sodium must also be listed in increments of 5 mg when containing 5-140 mg, otherwise it can be listed in increments of 10 mg
Total Carbs, Dietary Fiber, Sugars, and Protein – All of these health points are required to be shown on a label in 5 gram increments unless there is fewer than 1 gram in the product. In this instance, there should be messaging on the label that reads “contains less than 1 gram of ___”
Vitamin D, Potassium, and Minerals – Recently the FDA changed its regulations and now Vitamins A and C will no longer be required on labels, whereas Vitamin D and Potassium will be. The nutritional values are represented in percentages, unlike the others
All-in-all, accurate nutritional information is required and regulated by the FDA and is extremely important with all the food-related health issues in our country!
If you are looking for somewhere to print nutrition labels, let us help you. With over 30 years of printing, packaging, and labeling experience, our team is prepared to support you and guarantee you choose the right printing solution. To learn more, contact us today at (904) 263-2804.
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