What You Need to Know About the New FDA Nutrition Fact Label Requirements
On May 20, 2016, the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized the updated look for nutrition fact labels.
The new standard reflects numerous studies on the effect of diet on lifestyle and disease. The redesigned labels put added emphasis on what the FDA feels are more important areas of concentration for consumers.
The nutrition fact label updates took effect on January 1, 2020 for manufacturers with more than $10 million in annual food sales. Smaller retailers, however, will be given until January 1, 2021 to comply.
All of these updates can be a lot to take in. Especially if you have a well-established product on supermarket shelves. Luckily for you, OnlineLabels.com is here to make this an easy transition! Below, we break down what the changes entailed and how to generate your new labels.
Nutrition Label Changes
The new format adopts the look of the traditional label with some slight design changes. Most notably, the font size for fields like "Calories," "Serving size," and "Servings per container" will increase significantly.
Compare the original nutrition fact panel format on the left with the new version on the right:
Image Credit: FDA.gov
Several new fields will also be added to reflect recent health studies. These include "Added Sugars," updated nutrients and daily values, and more.
Take a look at the changes in detail:
Image Credit: FDA.gov
In addition, fields have been moved or restructured, like the "Percent Daily Values" footnote and serving size. What was once seen as misleading and unrealistic is now reflective of what the average person consumes in one sitting.
Check out the graphic below for a closer look at the serving size changes:
Image Credit: FDA.gov
Implementing The New Label
Users can generate both the new and original nutrition labels within our free Nutrition Label Generator.
Find out how to create/edit nutrition labels directly on your design in Maestro Label Designer.
Be sure to check out the FDA website for full details surrounding the nutrition fact label update. If you're ready to make the changes to your packaging, our Nutrition Label Generator is up to date and ready for you to crank out those new nutrition labels!
Not sure where to get your nutrition fact information? Learn how to find your product's nutrition content.
