Guides

US FDA Nutrition Label Requirements for Small Producers

If you sell packaged food in the US, you may need a Nutrition Facts label under FDA rules unless a specific exemption applies.

To stay operationally safe, you need:

  • accurate per-serving nutrition values
  • correct US Nutrition Facts panel format
  • consistent serving size definitions
  • a repeatable way to regenerate labels after recipe changes

Skip the spreadsheet. Nutrifax is a nutrition label generator that builds an FDA Nutrition Facts panel from your recipe or ingredient list. Start free →

Who this applies to

  • small packaged food brands
  • home-based producers selling into US channels
  • farmers market and local retail vendors
  • e-commerce sellers with packaged products

Why producers struggle

  • exemptions are confusing and often misunderstood
  • serving size assumptions drift between recipe versions
  • manual spreadsheets are hard to maintain and audit
  • formatting and rounding details are easy to miss

Practical checklist before printing

  • confirm your final recipe and quantities
  • set your real serving size (how customers will consume it)
  • run per-serving calculations against final formulation
  • generate a US-format panel
  • do a physical print/readability check
  • save calculation/export records for future updates

Common mistakes

  • using "close enough" values from another product
  • failing to regenerate after formula edits
  • switching serving assumptions without recalculation
  • using Canada panel format for US products
  • publishing a label with no traceable source process

What to do in Nutrifax

Use the nutrition label generator to go from recipe to FDA panel:

  1. Build/import your recipe in the builder.
  2. Verify ingredient matches and units.
  3. Set servings/yield fields.
  4. Generate the US label format.
  5. Export PDF/PNG and run a test print.
  6. Optionally export audit report records for traceability.

Related pages

Sources

Disclaimer

This page is educational and not legal advice. Confirm requirements for your product and jurisdiction.

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