Updated 2026-09-24. This page is not legal advice.
The FDA establishes reference amounts customarily consumed for each food category. The reference amounts customarily consumed represent the amount of food that people usually eat at one time. A food maker must base the serving size on a retail Nutrition Facts label on this amount. The full legal list appears in 21 CFR 101.12(b). You can use our nutrition label maker to build your label correctly.
What does reference amount mean?
Food makers need to understand what does reference amount mean under federal law. The FDA reference amount is a fixed weight or volume for an entire food category. The FDA sets each value using data from national food intake surveys.
The reference amount is not the actual serving size on your package. Instead, the serving size is a realistic household measure close to the RACC. The household measure comes first on the label line. You place the metric weight in parentheses after the household measure. You round the gram weight to the nearest whole gram. Read our guide on how to calculate serving size for detailed steps.
RACC table for baked goods
The following RACC table lists the reference amounts for bakery products. Review these numbers before you choose package portions.
| Food | RACC | Label format |
|---|---|---|
| Bagels, toaster pastries, muffins (not English muffins) | 110 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Biscuits, croissants, tortillas, soft pretzels, corn bread, scones, English muffins | 55 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Breads (not sweet quick breads), rolls | 50 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Brownies | 40 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Cakes, heavyweight (cheesecake, pineapple upside-down cake, cakes 35 percent or more fruit, nuts, or vegetables) | 125 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) or fractional slice |
| Cakes, mediumweight (most leavened cakes with or without icing, cupcakes, eclairs, cream puffs) | 80 g | same |
| Cakes, lightweight (angel food, chiffon, or sponge cake with no icing or filling) | 55 g | same |
| Coffee cakes, crumb cakes, doughnuts, Danish, sweet rolls, sweet quick breads | 55 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Cookies | 30 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Crackers usually eaten as snacks | 30 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Grain-based bars (breakfast bars, granola bars, rice cereal bars) | 40 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Pies, cobblers, fruit crisps, turnovers, other pastries | 125 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) or fractional slice |
You must weigh your baked item accurately. The weight determines whether your product counts as one piece or several pieces.
RACC table for candy, sweets, and spreads
Sweets and dessert toppings have distinct categories under federal rules. Check this table for confection and spread products.
| Food | RACC | Label format |
|---|---|---|
| Hard candies, breath mints | 2 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Hard candies, roll-type, mini-size in dispenser packages | 5 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| All other candies (fudge, caramels, chocolates) | 30 g | __ piece(s) (__ g), or 1 oz (30 g) for bulk |
| Chewing gum | 3 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Honey, jams, jellies, fruit butter, molasses, fruit chutneys | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp (__ g) |
| Syrups | 30 mL | 2 tbsp (30 mL) |
| Sugar | 8 g | __ tsp (__ g) |
| Nut and seed butters | 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp (__ g) |
| Ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, frozen pops | 2/3 cup | 2/3 cup (__ g) |
Liquid and semi-solid spreads often use tablespoons instead of grams for the reference standard. You still report the gram equivalent in parentheses.
RACC table for snacks, cereals, sauces, and drinks
Snack foods, dry cereals, condiments, and beverages follow specific portion sizes under 21 CFR 101.12. Use these official values for your packaging.
| Food | RACC | Label format |
|---|---|---|
| Chips, pretzels, popcorn, fruit chips, grain-based snack mixes | 30 g | __ cup (__ g) or __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Nuts, seeds, and mixes | 30 g | __ tbsp or __ cup (__ g) |
| Dried fruit | 40 g | __ piece(s) or __ cup (__ g) |
| Jerky and other dried meat | 30 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Ready-to-eat cereal, under 20 g per cup | 15 g | __ cup(s) (__ g) |
| Ready-to-eat cereal, 20 g to under 43 g per cup | 40 g | __ cup(s) (__ g) |
| Ready-to-eat cereal, 43 g or more per cup, biscuit types | 60 g | __ cup(s) (__ g) |
| Flours, cornmeal | 30 g | __ tbsp or __ cup (__ g) |
| Dips, salsa, barbecue sauce, other dipping sauces | 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp (__ g) |
| Ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, steak sauce, marinades | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp (__ g) |
| Pickles, all types | 30 g | __ piece(s) (__ g) |
| Spices, herbs | 1/4 tsp, or 0.5 g if it cannot be measured by teaspoon | 1/4 tsp (__ g) |
| Soft drinks, other drinks, water | 360 mL | 12 fl oz (360 mL) |
| Juices, nectars, fruit drinks | 240 mL | 8 fl oz (240 mL) |
Ready-to-eat cereal rows depend on how many grams one cup of the cereal weighs. Weigh a level cup to pick the row.
How does the RACC set the serving size?
Federal regulations under 21 CFR 101.9(b)(2) define how to convert the reference amount into a serving size.
For piece foods, weigh an individual piece first. Then compare that weight to the official standard:
- 50 percent or less of the RACC: The serving size is the number of whole pieces closest to the RACC.
- More than 50 and less than 67 percent: You may declare one piece or two pieces.
- 67 percent or more but less than 200 percent: The serving size is one piece.
- 200 to 300 percent: The serving size is the amount closest to the RACC. Add a second column for the whole piece.
Here is a worked example for a cookie. The RACC for cookies is 30 grams. Suppose one cookie weighs 12 grams. Twelve grams is 40 percent of 30 grams. That falls into the 50 percent or less category. Two cookies weigh 24 grams. That is 6 grams away from 30 grams. Three cookies weigh 36 grams. That is also 6 grams away from 30 grams. In this case, 3 cookies (36 g) is the common label declaration.
For scoop or pour foods, use a standard household measure. Choose 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, or 1 cup, tablespoon, or teaspoon. Pick the measure whose weight is closest to the RACC.
You can use our Serving Size Calculator to check these numbers quickly.
What if one package is one serving?
The total package contents affect your serving declaration. Federal rules require single-serving labels for certain package sizes.
A package with less than 200 percent of the RACC is one serving. You must label the entire container as a single serving. For example, a 50 g bag of chips has less than 200 percent of the 30 g chip RACC. The label must state that the whole bag is one serving.
A package with 200 to 300 percent of the RACC needs a dual-column label. One column shows the nutrition facts for one serving. The second column shows the nutrition facts for the entire package. This format helps consumers understand their total intake.
Do small food makers need to use the RACC?
Small food businesses often ask if these rules apply to their products. You only need to use the RACC if you print a Nutrition Facts panel.
A qualified small business may claim a nutrition label exemption. An exempt maker may skip the nutrition panel completely. If you print a panel anyway, base the serving size on the RACC.
If an exempt maker prints a Nutrition Facts panel, they must follow every federal rule. Voluntary labels must use the official reference amounts. You cannot invent your own portion sizes.