An Easy Guide to Understanding Food Labels

Now more than ever, consumers are becoming smarter and more conscious about what they eat. The quest for a healthier lifestyle, after all, starts with what the body consumes on a daily basis. With more people searching for food products and grocery items that cater to their dietary needs, more attention is paid to food labels.
Food labels are more than just a legal requirement set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They contain everything you need to know, from the name of the brand to the various nutrition facts such as calories and nutrient information. These labels can help you make informed decisions. If you know how to read and understand food labels, you will have a better grasp on whether the food product is suitable to your dietary needs.
What to Include in Your Food Labels?
Food label printing is fast and easy here at PrintRunner. You can easily
customize the specifications of your
labels
based on your business needs. Choosing the size, shape, material and other
customization options is a breeze with the help of the product calculator.
When it comes to label design, you can just upload your print-ready artwork
to our website or create one from scratch using our online design tool. But
before you let us proceed with custom printing your food labels, make sure
you know what to include in your label design.
Serving Information. This information provides the
customers the number of servings in the package and serving size. Serving
size is standardized and usually comes in units such as cups or pieces
followed by the metric amount like the number of grams. Keep in mind that
serving size is not a recommendation of how much a person should eat or
drink, but a reflection of the amount that people typically eat or drink.
List of Ingredients. Your food label needs to list the
ingredients used in making the product in descending order by weight.
Percentage of Certain Ingredients. If you want to emphasize
a specific ingredient in your product, be sure to state its quantity as a
percentage. For example: 100% pure beef. You also need to do this if the
ingredient is highlighted with an image or graphic.
Cooking Instructions. If applicable to your product, you
need to provide cooking instructions on your food labels. You also need to
add important information such as temperature, cooking time, cooking
equipment needed, and other instructions needed to prepare the food.
‘Best Before’ Dates. These dates refer to food quality, not
food safety. This informs your customers that your product should be of high
quality until the given date—provided that it was unopened and stored under
ideal conditions for the product. Best before dates help in minimizing food
waste.
Nutrient Content Claims. This is the level of a nutrient in
the product and usually stated as “free”, “high”, and “low.” If the level of
a nutrient in a food is compared to that of another food, terms such as
”more”, ”reduced”, and ”lite” are used.
Food Allergens. If your product contains an ingredient that
contains protein from a "major food allergen," it should be stated in your
food labels. This includes milk, egg, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts,
wheat, peanuts, and soybeans.
Storage Instructions. Provide instructions on how to safely
store your product before and after opening the
packaging. Some
of the most common ones are “store in a cool, dry place” and “once opened,
consume within 3 days.”
Contact Details. Complete information about your business
including name, contact details, address, and country.
Country of Origin. If you sourced your product from another
country, make sure that it is stated clearly in your food labels. Never
imply that your product originates from where it was manufactured.
Related Articles:
- The Ultimate FDA Food Labeling Guide
- Guide to Choosing the Correct Label Sizes
- How to Choose the Perfect Shape for Your Label
Food Labels Q&As
Yes. Otherwise, you will be subjected to regulatory fines for providing information that does not match the product.
No, there aren’t. FDA guidelines are only limited to the information provided on the food labels.
Yes, you can. There are no rules restricting the size of your food labels as long as they have all the necessary information.