The new FDA labeling format is integrated into Nutritionist Pro™ application and software! Small food manufacturing companies (<$10mm food sales) may not require using the new format until early next year, 2021, but sooner is better to make the transition.
As the FDA says: “We generally encourage industry to comply with new labeling regulations as quickly as feasible, however. Thus, when industry members voluntarily change their labels, it is appropriate that they incorporate any new requirements that have been published as final regulations up to that time.”
This notice isn’t a heads-up, but most companies will be anxious to use the new formats and Nutritionist Pro™ can help make transition go more smoothly.
New Format Requirements:
#1: The default format for nutrition food labels is the new FDA design format. The current labeling styles (vertical tabular etc) is not going to be affected, in fact they will use whatever label format they have been using so far with a couple of new designs. The noticeable changes are about using the information of calories and serving size, with the size of the type for ‘Calories,’ ‘Serving per container,’ and ‘Serving size’ increased significantly. The calorie and service size info need to be in bold typeface as the FDA rules.
#2: Actual amount of vitamins and minerals will be in the microgram unit, besides the percent of Daily Value (%DV).
#3: In the new food label, a new footnote needs to be added, mentioning the %DV. It is intended to indicate how much a nutrient in a serving of food will contribute to a daily diet.
#4: Serving size for certain products is larger than a single serving but that could be eaten in a single sitting. In the label, two columns will be shown, one with information ‘per serving’ and the other with ‘per package.’ This, the FDA says of a 24-ounce of soda or a pint of ice cream as an example. The idea is that consumers will have knowledge of what they will be drinking or eating if they finish the entire package at one time.
New Content Requirements:
#1: The nutrition facts about ‘Added Sugars’ need to be shown in the gram unit and %DV value as a separate line under Total Sugars.
#2: Use Vitamin D and Potassium in the label. Vitamins A and C are no longer mandatory nutrients while Iron and calcium need to be shown.
#3: Serving sizes and daily values need to be adjusted to reflect what people actually eat now.
#4: Food packages that contain one and two servings need to be labelled as one serving and display all the calorie and nutrient information as a single serving, because consumers typically finish them in one sitting.
Nutritionist Pro™ has your back!
As always, Nutritionist Pro™ keeps itself ready for every new regulatory update! Users will find them available in our nutrition food label maker application.
Please visit us if additional information is required.