Updated 2026-09-12. This page is not legal advice.
Every packaged food you sell carries the same set of label parts. The federal food labeling requirements sit in 21 CFR part 101, and FDA enforces them. They cover food sold across state lines, and most states apply the same rules to food sold inside the state. This page walks each part in the order you would build a label.
FDA does not approve a label before you sell. You write it, you print it, and you answer for it if it is wrong. A buyer, a retail chain, or a state inspector may be the first to read it closely.
What must every packaged food label show?
Six items. Five appear on every package. The sixth, the Nutrition Facts panel, has exemptions that many small brands meet.
- Statement of identity, the name of the food. 21 CFR 101.3.
- Net quantity of contents, the amount of food inside. 21 CFR 101.105.
- Ingredient list, in order by weight. 21 CFR 101.4.
- Allergen declaration for the nine major allergens. FALCPA and the FASTER Act.
- Name and place of business of the maker, packer, or distributor. 21 CFR 101.5.
- Nutrition Facts panel. 21 CFR 101.9, with exemptions in 101.9(j).
Two of these go on the front. The rest go on the front or on the information panel next to it.
What goes on the front of the package?
The statement of identity and the net quantity. Federal rules call the front the principal display panel. It is the part of the package the buyer sees on the shelf.
Nothing else is required on the front. Your brand name, your logo, and your photo are optional and go where you like. The panel immediately to the right of the front is the information panel. 21 CFR 101.2 puts the ingredient list, the allergen line, your address, and the nutrition panel there. They must sit together. You cannot put a recipe or a coupon between them.
If the right-hand panel cannot be used, the next panel to the right takes the information. Small round jars often have one wrap-around label, and that is fine. Print the front block and the information block as two clear groups.
How do I write the statement of identity?
Use the common or usual name of the food, in bold type, on the front panel. Write it parallel to the base of the package, the way the buyer holds it. 21 CFR 101.3 sets the rule.
“Strawberry jam” is a statement of identity. “Nana’s Best” is a brand name, not a statement of identity. You may use both, with the brand large and the food name near it. If the food has no common name, describe it in plain words: “cashew and date energy bar”.
Include the form when the form matters. Write “sliced peaches”, “whole almonds”, or “ground coffee”. FDA guidance treats half the height of the largest front-panel print as a working floor. Print it larger if the panel allows.
How do I write the net quantity?
State the amount of food in the package, in both US customary and metric units. Put it in the bottom 30 percent of the front panel. 21 CFR 101.105 sets the rule.
Solid food uses weight: “Net Wt 8 oz (227 g)”. Liquid food uses volume: “12 fl oz (355 mL)”. At one pound or more, write both forms: “Net Wt 1 lb 4 oz (567 g)”. The number covers the food only, never the jar, the lid, or the label.
Type size follows the area of the front panel. A panel of 5 square inches or less needs 1/16 inch type. Over 5 up to 25 square inches needs 1/8 inch. Over 25 up to 100 square inches needs 3/16 inch. Fill several packages, weigh them, and label the lowest weight you hit. The net weight statement guide shows the measuring steps.
How do I write the ingredient list?
List every ingredient by its common or usual name, heaviest first. Weigh each one as it goes into the batch. 21 CFR 101.4 sets the rule.
Water counts and is often high on the list. Volume never decides the order, so a cup of flour and a cup of sugar do not tie. An ingredient that has its own ingredients gets them in parentheses: “chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla)”. Copy those words from the supplier package.
Ingredients at 2 percent or less of the food may move to the end, after “contains 2% or less of”. You may write “spices” and “natural flavor” as group terms. Certified colors such as Yellow 5 must be named. The ingredient statement guide has a full worked example. The free Ingredient Label Maker sorts the list by weight and prints it.
How do I declare allergens?
Name each of the nine major allergens on the label. FALCPA set eight in 2004, and the FASTER Act added sesame on January 1, 2023.
The nine are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. Fish, shellfish, and tree nuts need the kind: “cod”, “shrimp”, “almonds”. You have two ways to declare. Put the source in parentheses inside the list, as in “whey (milk)”. Or add a “Contains:” line right after the list.
Pick one method and hold to it. A “Contains:” line must name every major allergen in the food, with none missing. A “may contain” statement is voluntary and never replaces the required declaration. Read the label of every ingredient you buy, because butter is milk and most chocolate chips carry soy. The allergen statement guide covers the wording and the placement.
Do I need a Nutrition Facts panel, and when am I exempt?
Many small brands are exempt. 21 CFR 101.9 sets the nutrition labeling requirements, and 101.9(j) lists the exemptions. Two of them fit small food businesses.
The first covers a firm with fewer than 100 full-time employees. That firm must sell fewer than 100,000 units of the product per year. It also files an annual notice with FDA. The second covers a firm with fewer than 10 full-time employees. It must sell fewer than 10,000 units per year, and it files no notice. Read the current text of 101.9(j)(1) and (j)(18) before you rely on either.
Three things cancel an exemption. A nutrient content claim cancels it. A health claim cancels it. Adding nutrition information voluntarily puts you under the full format rules. Retail buyers also ask for a panel, so many brands add one by choice.
A required panel lists calories, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium. It also lists total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total sugars, added sugars, and protein. Vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium complete the panel. The serving size comes from a federal reference amount for the food category, not from your preference. The serving size calculator helps you set servings per container. The free Nutrition Label Maker prints the FDA format, and the Supplement Facts generator does the same for dietary supplements.
What are the type size and placement rules?
Required text on the information panel must be at least 1/16 inch tall, measured on the lowercase letter “o”. 21 CFR 101.2 sets that floor. Packages with less than 12 square inches of total label surface may use 1/32 inch.
Net quantity type follows its own scale, tied to the front panel area, in 21 CFR 101.105. The statement of identity follows the prominence rule in 21 CFR 101.3. Keep contrast high: dark type on a light background, or the reverse. A pale color on a photo fails, even at the right height.
Test a printed sample before you order a run. Print one, stick it on the real jar, and read it at arm’s length. Curved surfaces shrink the readable width. The guide on printing food labels at home covers stock, sizing, and smudge tests.
Can I make claims like “low fat” or “healthy”?
Only if the food meets the federal definition of the term. 21 CFR 101.13 governs nutrient content claims. An undefined or unmet claim makes the food misbranded.
“Low fat”, “fat free”, “sugar free”, and “high protein” all have set numeric limits. “Good source of fiber” and “light” have limits too. The federal rules give the numbers per serving. “Healthy” is an implied nutrient content claim with its own FDA definition, and FDA updated that definition in December 2024. Check the current rule before you print the word.
Any of these claims also cancels your Nutrition Facts exemption. The label then needs a full panel with accurate values. Words like “homemade”, “small batch”, and “handcrafted” are not nutrient content claims and stay open to you. “Keto” and “clean” are not defined terms, and they invite questions you may not want.
What is different for cottage food?
Cottage food adds a state layer on top of the federal rules. Your state sets which foods you may make at home and where you may sell. It also sets the disclaimer the label must carry.
The federal parts above still apply. States then add a line such as “Made in a home kitchen” and often a permit or registration number. Sales caps and registration differ by state. California caps Class A at $75,000 and Class B at $150,000. Florida caps sales at $250,000. Michigan and New Jersey cap at $50,000. Texas, Ohio, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Virginia have no stated cap.
Registration also differs. New Jersey charges $100 for a two-year permit. Illinois requires annual local registration up to $50 plus a food manager certificate. North Carolina inspects home processors. Georgia dropped its permit in July 2025. No state we have checked requires a Nutrition Facts panel on cottage food unless the label makes a nutrient claim. See the cottage food law pages for your state, such as California or Texas. Also read the guide on nutrition labels for cottage food.
When you leave cottage food for a commercial kitchen, the state disclaimer drops off and the federal rules stay. Build the label to the federal rules now, and the move costs you one line of text.