Food Labeling
Chapter 10.7
IN
FOOD PROCESSING
Food labeling
• The goal of food labeling is to provide consumers with information
that is factual and relevant about the products they consume. Certain
label information, such as the responsible firm's name and address
and ingredient declaration, is required. Other label information, such
as health claims and nutrient content claims, is voluntary.
Refrigerated Foods
• California law requires that all Potentially Hazardous Foods* have the
statement "Perishable Keep Refrigerated" on the label in a conspicuous
location, normally on the Principal Display Panel. The statement
"Perishable Keep Frozen" is also acceptable on the label of foods that are
kept frozen.
• *Food that is capable of supporting growth of infectious or toxigenic
microorganisms when held at temperatures above 45°°F.
Organic Foods
• Foods represented as “organic” must meet the requirements of the USDA
National Organic Program (NOP) Regulations and the California Organic Products
Act of 2003.
• Products may be
• 100% Organic: 100% certified organic ingredients Organic:
• 95% certified organic ingredients
• Made with Organic: 70% and 95% certified organic ingredients
Label panel
• A food package usually has at least two distinct areas: the Principal
Display Panel and the Information Panel.
• All required information on the label must be presented in a legible
manner. It cannot be concealed in any manner such that it is unlikely
that the consumer will read it.
• The size of the lettering, unless stated, must be at least 1/16 inch in
height. Labels must be made of materials that do not contaminate
the food.
• If there is likelihood that the paper, ink or adhesive of a label will
touch the product or penetrate the packaging, these materials must
be safe for food use.
Information on Label Panels
Information
Panel Principal Display
Panel
Product Name
Net Quantity of Contents
“Perishable Keep Refrigerated”(if
applicable)
Information Panel
Principal Nutrition Facts
Display Ingredients List
Panel
Food name
• All foods must be named. This name, which is often called the
"Statement of Identity," can be either the "common name" or a
"fanciful name" of the food. If a fanciful name is used, it must be
accompanied by a descriptive phrase at least 1⁄2 the type size of the
product name. The name has to be truthful and must be presented in
bold type on the Principal Display Panel.
• If it is a "flavored" product, it must state so (e.g., "cherry flavored"
pie). If the flavor is not derived from a natural source, then it must
indicate so (e.g., "artificial cherry flavored" pie).
Net Quantity
Requirement
You should choose a print style that is
prominent, conspicuous and easy to read.The
letters must not be more than three times as Net Wt. 8
high as they are wide, and lettering must
oz(.2 2 7 g).
contrast sufficiently with the background to be
easy to read. Also, you should not crowd the net
quantity statement with artwork or other
labeling (minimum separation requirements are
specified in the regulation).
What’s Included?
Only the quantity of food in the container or
package is stated in the net quantity statement.
Ingredient List
• All packaged foods composed of two or more ingredients are required
to include an ingredient list.
• The ingredient statement must be legible and be correctly listed in
descending order of predominance by weight. Ingredients must be
listed by their common or usual names (e.g., sugar instead of
sucrose).
• Certain ingredients require special declaration. The sub-ingredients of
a food that is an ingredient in another food may be declared
following the name of the ingredient. For example: enriched flour
(wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, riboflavin and folic acid).
Foods with two or more discrete components (e.g., cherry pie that
has filling and pie crust) may have a separate ingredient list for each
of the components, or list all of them together under one list.
For foods that are sold in bulk, a list of ingredients must be stated on
a sign or on the food's original container.
Responsible firm
• There must be a firm (manufacturer, packer or distributor) identified
on the label as a responsible party. Unless the name given is the
actual manufacturer, it must be accompanied by a qualifying phrase
which states the firm’s relation to the product (e.g., “manufactured
for” or “distributed by”).
• The firm's name, city, state and zip code must be declared. If the firm
is not listed in the current telephone guide for that city, the street
address must also be listed.
Nutrition Facts
Most processed and packaged foods (except exempt foods) must
declare information about the foods' nutritional content using the
correct typeface, font size, and formats approved by FDA for the
"Nutrition Facts" panel.
A simplified format is allowed when the food contains insignificant
amounts of eight or more of the mandatory nutrients (Calories, total
fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol,
sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, sugar, protein, vitamin A,
vitamin, calcium, and iron)
The five core nutrients (Calories, total fat, sodium, total carbohydrate,
and protein) must appear on all “Nutrition Facts” panels regardless of
the amount present in the food or the format used.
Nutrition Facts: New Style
Nutrition Facts: Trans Fat
The amount of trans fat in a serving
must be
listed on a separate line under
saturated fat on the “Nutrition Facts”
panel as shown on the example on this
page. However, trans fat does not
Trans Fat have to be listed if the total fat in a
food is less than 0.5 gram (or 1/2
gram) per serving and no claims are
made about fat, fatty acid or
cholesterol content. If trans fat is not
listed, a footnote must be added
• "Major Food Allergen" refers to an ingredient that is one of the
following eight foods or food groups or an ingredient that contains
protein derived from one of them: (1) Milk (2) Eggs (3) Fish (e.g.,
bass, flounder, cod) (4) Crustacean shellfish (e.g. crab, lobster,
shrimp) (5) Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans)(6) Peanuts (7)
Wheat (8) Soybeans
Nutrient Content Claims
• A “Nutrient Content Claim” is a word or phrase on a food package that makes a
comment about the nutritional value of the food. Eleven (11) basic terms have
been defined for several nutrients, and FDA has set conditions for the use of
these terms:-
• Free low reduced
• Fewer high less more lean
• Extra lean
• good source light
Product Date and Lot Coding
• Product dating is optional for most food products.There are two types
of dating on food packaging:
• Lot Coding
• When manufacturers produce a product, they do so in batches. Each
batch is assigned a unique series of numbers that makes it possible
for manufacturers to track exactly when a problem occurred and
which products need to be recalled.
• Expiration Dates
• These are numbers represented in a date format that are used to
provide a guideline for consumers so they will know when a food
product is either no longer safe to eat or might not taste as good as it
did when originally produced.
Product Date & Lot Code
Product Lot
Date Code
Thank
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