When it comes to food and drink labels, you should make them easy to read. You should note that consumers tend to compare products based on their nutrition labels as the health-conscious ones will want to look out for health issues that are related to blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, weight, and etc. Hence, you must sure that your labels are accurate and factual. Here are some details commonly printed on nutrition labels that you need to keep them accurate:
Vitamins & Minerals
As a food company, it is mandatory that you list vitamin A and C content. Listing others is optional.
Protein
Under the protein section, you should state the amount of protein found in one serving (of your product).
Carbohydrate (Total)
When you include a total carbohydrate section, make sure that it is a breakdown of the total amount of carbohydrates that can be found in your product. It should be sugar (naturally occurring and/or added) and fiber. If your product contains five grams of fiber or more, it shows that your product is a good source of fiber.
Sodium
According to the American Heart Association, the limit for sodium intake should be 1,500mg daily. Do remember to state this down!
Fat (Total)
This is the section where you should state the the total amount of fat that can be found in a single serving. You should break down the info by the types of fats, which include monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, trans (if any), and saturated. It’s recommended that you lower/limit saturated fat to ten percent of the total daily calories. Trans fat, on the other hand, should be avoided at all costs. Trans fat increases one’s bad cholesterol. Hence, you may want to consider tweaking your product so that you can put “trans fat free” on your labels.
Calories Derived from Fat
Fat should contribute no more than 30% of your product’s total calories.
Cholesterol
The recommended cholesterol limit for most people is 300mg a day or less. It should be 150mg or less daily for people with high cholesterol.
Calories (Energy)
Stating the calories section correctly will inform your consumers, how much energy is supplied by your product.
Percent Daily Value
Oftentimes, you will notice that many items listed on a nutrition label have a percent next to them. You should note that those figures are based on a two thousand calorie daily diet. Keep in mind that everyone is different. Hence, it’s not appropriate for everyone to stick to a two thousand calorie daily diet. Your product’s daily values may be lower or higher depending on a few factors such as activity, age, weight, height and gender.
Number of Servings Your Product Caters to
If your research tells you that your consumers tend to eat more or less than the estimated serving size, the rest of the label needs to be adjusted accordingly. For instance, a can of clam chowder may have a single-bowl serving size, and a total of three servings (three bowls). If you put yourselves in your consumers’ shoes, and you can drink all the soup, you will have to triple everything on the label.
Footnote
Do not overlook the importance of including a footnote on your nutrition labels. Your footnote should be providing information on recommended levels of intakes based on 2,500 or 2,000 calorie diets.
