Ingredients Statement
The ingredients statement is crucial on your food label. It lists the ingredients in your recipe, and the FDA mandates that it follows specific requirements. In addition, the directives on the elements statement can help you avoid future issues.
The Ingredients Label Location
The ingredients label is located directly to the right of the Principal Display Panel. The PDP must be on the surface that the consumer sees first when the product is on display. Depending on the container, there may be alternate PDPs, but each must include the required PDP information.
The PDP displays the product name and the total amount of product included in the container. If there is more than one item in the package, you can also indicate that there are six items that reach that total. In this case, there may be no panel to the right of the PDP. That should be the back panel. That is where you need to place the ingredients label.
This area lists the serving size, total calories, and calories per serving. It also must include levels of Cholesterol, Fats, Sodium, Total Carbohydrates, Sugar, and Vitamins.
In addition to the ingredient list, the ingredients statement also requires other information. The name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor are necessary here. If needed, this information helps identify the avenues the package has traveled through to get to distribution. In 2004, the FALCPA passed. It requires notification of any allergen materials that may cause a reaction. The consumer must know if there are ingredients that may cause a reaction. The Code of Federal Regulation Title 21 holds the FDA requirements that must be met. FDA Ingredient Labeling Guide contains this information. It is a different format that might be more understandable for some people.
28,000+ nutrition facts panels created. 1000’s of products brought successfully to retail.
Not a single recall.
How Are Ingredients Listed on a Food Label?
The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act mandates that foods be categorized by their Food Labeling Areas of Interest. The Food Labeling and Standards should address food label questions. Questions regarding warnings and safe handling directives should be—present questions about warnings and secure handling to the FDA’s Warnings and Safe Handling Statements Department. The ingredient statement is one of the areas that inventors inquire about the most. You may want to list the ingredients that make your product unique first. However, that is not how the FDA requires your ingredients on your label list. List the ingredients in the order of their weight in the product. The ingredient that weighs the most must come first on the list. List additional ingredients in descending order of volume. The common or usual name must be listed so the consumer can recognize the component.
Although the requirements may seem unnecessary and annoying, they have a purpose. The requirements are to provide information for an informed consumer. They deserve to know exactly what they are eating and how much. Consumers with diabetes must know how much sugar is in your “Lo-Cal” pudding. If that label is misleading and the client with severe diabetes eats the product, it could be dangerous. They could have a diabetic episode or go into a diabetic coma. Tracing this back to consuming your pudding will be detrimental to your company. Therefore, how ingredients are listed on a food label is very important.