A Guide to FDA Labeling Compliance Leave a comment

If your business sells food products, it is highly critical that your labels are Food and Drug Administration compliant. What exactly does it entail for your food labels to be deemed compliant by the FDA? The FDA has an in-depth food labeling guide that details requirements that your products’ labels must adhere to, from where the name of the food needs to be placed to the required font sizes. 

The team here at Chicago Color Label has created this overview that highlights some key information found in said FDA Food Labeling Guide. When you need labels for your products, be sure to browse our inventory! If you have any specific questions about FDA labeling compliance, you can reach out to the Office of Nutrition and Food Labeling at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Food and Drug Administration at 240-402-2373. 

What Are the Components of a Food Product Label? 

There are specific elements that need to be displayed on a food product label. These elements include:

Identity 

The product’s “identity” is its common name. For example, since Cheetos is not the name of a food (it’s the product’s name), in the lower left-hand corner of the label, you’ll find the proper name for the content itself: cheese-flavored snacks. This is also the case for a brand like Tostitos, but instead, the packaging says tortilla chips. Why is including this information important? The FDA wants to make sure that consumers know exactly what they’re purchasing. 

Net Quantity of Contents

The net quantity of food contents can be expressed in weight, measure, count, or a combination of all three. As for liquids, the weight must be described in gallons, quarts, pints, and fluid oz. All of the information should precede the words “Net Weight,” or you’ll often see the abbreviation, “Net WT.” 

Product Ingredients 

The ingredients of products must be listed in descending order according to weight. This list should be placed directly underneath the nutritional panel, but if there’s no room, it should be placed directly to the right, and it should follow the word “Ingredients.”

Nutritional Information

Nutritional information includes the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients that are found in a product. 

Name & Location of the Manufacturer, Packer, or Distributor 

The name can be the company or corporation that facilitates business. For the location, you are required to include the street address, city, state, and zip code.

Design of a Food Label

Now that we’ve covered what information is required to go on a food label, let’s go over where this information should appear. Here’s a breakdown of the design of a food product label: 

Front panel (Principal Display Panel)

The Principal Display Panel (PDP) will have the product’s name, quantity, and identity of the product. The PDP of a rectangular package should span the entire customer-facing side of the product. If your product is a cylinder, the PDP must span 40% of the total side area of the package. For packages of any other shapes, the PDP must span 40% of the surface area of the package. It’s also important to note that the net weight of a product should be placed in the bottom 30% of the PDP. 

Information or Rear Panel 

The Information Panel is located next to the Principal Display Panel, and it should include the following information: the name and location of the manufacturer, the name of the distributor, the name of the country of origin, the nutrition panel, the ingredient list, and any allergen statements.

Learn More About FDA-Compliant Food Labeling with Chicago Color Label

If you have any additional questions about the labeling guide from the FDA, feel free to give us a call at (312) 818-1971. And in the meantime, be sure to check out our blog, where you can find articles on topics like universal product codes and augmented reality labels!