Food manufacturers face a mammoth task ensuring the information included on a Nutrition Facts label is clear, concise, and accurate – particularly with so many rules and regulations to contend with.

Faced with all the food labeling requirements under the FDA’s Code of Federal Regulations, it can be tricky and time-consuming to stay on top of them all. Not only do calories, nutrients, vitamins, and minerals all have to be visible, they have to be displayed in a certain style and format – and comply with the FDA’s strict Rounding Rules.

What Are Rounding Rules?

The Rounding Rules are very specific regulations that dictate whether certain numerical values included on the packaging should be rounded up or down, and to what level of significant digits.

The aim is to make it easier for the consumer to read and digest the information about exactly what they’re eating, eliminating confusion and allowing a direct comparison between other products on the shelves.

Complex Calculations

Calculating the Rounding Rules is notoriously complex and varies depending on type – fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fibers, sugars, protein, and so on.

Take Sodium, for example. If this amounts to less than 5mg per serving for a specific recipe, it is displayed as “zero”; between 5-140mg means you round to the nearest 5mg; and if it exceeds 140mg, then you round to the nearest 10mg. The rules to display cholesterol value, for example are different.  If cholesterol is less than 2 mg, it is displayed as 0; between 2-5mg is displayed as <5mg, and so on.

Some nutrients are to be declared in mg, others in g, yet others in mcg.

In addition, there are rules that need to be applied to the daily value percentages of vitamins and minerals.

These need to be expressed to the nearest 2-percent increment up to and including the 10-percent level, the nearest 5-percent increment above 10 percent and up to and including the 50-percent level, and the nearest 10-percent increment above the 50-percent level.

Extrapolate this to include all the different ingredients and nutrients and it becomes a complicated and often confusing process.

Cut Out Mistakes with LabelCalc

In practice, food manufacturers trying to navigate the different sections of the FDA’s Regulations and calculate all that math can find it a little overwhelming. Labeling mistakes can be costly, dangerous, or result in expensive recalls.

To help smooth the process and save a huge amount of time and effort, our trusted nutrition analysis software can take care of all those calculations for you.

Doing All The Hard Work Without You

Based on the recipe and nutrients in the ingredients you enter into the program, our algorithms instantly work out the exact rounded values that need to be included in the nutrition facts panel and provide the correct results every time.

Reliable and always up to date, our software helps food manufacturers ensure all the values on their nutrition facts panel are accurately rounded within just a few mouse clicks.

 

LabelCalc, a Datacor company, is used by food manufacturers worldwide to generate accurate Nutrition Facts labels quickly and easily. Our intuitive and user-friendly software compiles relevant information about ingredients, nutrition information, serving sizes, and allergens – all correctly formatted and compliant with the latest FDA rules.

If you have any questions about our online nutrition analysis software, email Tracy Herb, Product Owner – LabelCalc, at tlherb@datacor.com. To get a quote or request a demo, visit https://labelcalc.com/contact-us/.