We need the following: your recipe (you may use your own form or our worksheet), a description of the type of product and how it's prepared, raw starting weight and cooked finished weight if appropriate; package net weight and package measurements.
The following statement comes from FDA regulations: FDA has not stated how a company should determine the nutrient content of their product for labeling purposes. Therefore, there is no prohibition from using average values for its product derived from data bases if a manufacturer is confident that the values obtained meet FDAs compliance criteria. The NDS database contains nutrient data for about 20,000 foods. Standard ingredient data is updated annually from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference current release. Additional data is supplied directly from the manufacturers of brand name products.
On May 27, 2016 FDA finalized the new and improved Nutrition Facts label that will help people make informed decisions about the foods they eat and feed their families. Those new regulations go into effect on July 26, 2016.
Nutrition and Diet Services is in the process of developing this new Nutrition Facts panel and we hope to be ready to provide this new label format for our clients by July 26, 2016. We will have a modified pricing structure for updating labels that we have already done, as long as the formula for the product has not changed in any way. For labels that we provide between June 1, 2016 and the date we are ready to go with the new label format, we will update to the new format at no additional charge.
Most food manufacturers will be required to use the new label format by July 26, 2018. Manufacturers with less than $10 million in annual food sales will have an additional year to comply with the new rules.
The FDA allows several different formats so manufacturers may choose the style that best fits their package size and shape. However, the format of the label is dictated by the overall package size, not the size of the label itself. Let us know the package shape, height, and width and we can help you determine the appropriate label format.
The container size drives the format of the the label and the servings per container. We will supply a standard vertical formatted label and can advise you regarding other formats once you know the container size. You can have your graphic designer fill in the servings per container number when designing your package. We are happy to calculate that number for you.
It is impossible to prepare an accurate label based solely on the ingredient list. Accurate measurements of each ingredient in your product is the only way to provide an accurate label.
Weight of ingredients is always the most accurate measures you can provide so we can return an accurate label. However, we can work with standard weights for cups and tablespoons when necessary.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires a “Full Disclosure Statement” which lists ingredients in descending order by weight.
With the Nutrition Facts Panel, NDS provides Basic Ingredient Statement in descending order by weight at no additional charge.
For example Enriched Wheat Flour (list sub-ingredients), Water, Shortening (list sub ingredients). Yeast, Salt.
(list sub ingredients) means that you must fill in the parentheses with the ingredients that appear on your “Enriched Wheat Flour” package in the same order that they appear on the product you use.
Full Disclosure Ingredient Statements are provided for an extra charge:
FDA requires that all ingredients in your product be listed in descending order by weight and fully described including any sub-ingredients for each of the ingredients in your product. Sub-ingredients must also be listed by weight within parentheses.
For example
Enriched Wheat Flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin, mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Shortening (partially hydrogenated soybean oil with beta carotene [color]). Yeast, Salt.
The ingredients listed in italics are considered the full disclosure sub-ingredients
No, we are happy to use your form. We only provide the worksheet to guide you regarding the kinds of information we will need to prepare an accurate label.
In this case and other similar situations (i.e. ravioli dough and filling), it is necessary to fill out two worksheets, one with each component. Be sure to let us know how much of each recipe will be used per unit or serving. In the case of a pie, weigh the unbaked pie dough and/or all of the scrap, so that we can account for the actual amount in the pie. Let us know the weight of the filling before baking. (If you cook the filling before filling the pie, we need to know the difference in the weight of the filling before and after it is cooked.) Finally, we need to know the weight of the baked pie, if you are selling it baked, or the weight of the assembled pie if you are selling it raw.
We may need to charge you for one label and one nutrient analysis ($55).
The FDA allows some variation of nutrient value when you have to substitute a different brand of an ingredient. We can review the nutrient data for the new ingredient and advise you whether or not a new label would be required because the the new values are beyond the allowable difference.