How to Avoid Making Common Errors on Your Nutrition Facts Panel

What does the US Nutrition Facts Panel do, and how can you avoid making common and potentially costly mistakes during your product development process?

The Nutrition Facts Panel is the one-stop graphic for information on food products in the US. Providing nutrition content on a particular product, the panel is required on most foods and beverages (though some exemptions do exist – for example, on individually wrapped confectionery). 

Updates to the FDA’s Nutrition Facts Panel were made earlier this year as part of the FDA nutrition label guidelines revision, which brought about changes designed to make it even easier for consumers to make more informed food choices. These include: 

• More prominent serving size and calories
• Updated reference amounts customarily consumed
• Updated daily values 
• Updated required nutrients 
• And an updated footnote. 

What are the most common Nutrition Facts Panel errors? 

One of the most common mistakes businesses make when launching their product in the US is the actual formatting of the Nutrition Facts Panel. 

The format of the panel is governed by the FDA which publishes strict guidelines on: 

• which nutrients must be included on the panel
• which nutrients are optional
• the order of information
• the point size of the information
• the format (shape) that the label can be printed. 

Generally, the largest Nutrition Fact Panel that will fit on the label of the product is the one that should be used (regardless of non-required elements like marketing information and barcodes), though exemptions do exist.

As well as the common errors on formatting and point size, products can often be flagged according to FDA nutrition label guidelines for non-compliance action due to the incorrect rounding of values.

For more detailed information on the above, or to find out how to calculate nutrition facts label, visit the FDA’s website, or contact your FDA labeling consultant.

What could happen if you get it wrong? 

“Glass, China, and Reputation, are easily cracked, and never well mended.” — 

Benjamin Franklin

Failing to comply with US regulations on the Nutrition Facts Panel could result in a warning letter from the FDA. This could cause fiscal responsibilities (e.g. reprinting of labels) or could result in a product recall if falsified claims are made or exaggerated nutrition information is present. 

Brands rely on consumer trust to be successful and (depending on the severity of non-compliance), being involved in regulatory action can cause irreversible damage to a brand’s reputation. 
Deciphering the detailed US regulations can be daunting, but the Ashbury team is on hand to help make the complex clear and give you confidence in your FDA nutrition label guideline responsibilities.