Today’s consumers have become cautious enough when it comes to choosing products based on their nutritional values. Besides, it’s necessary to have nutritional facts printed on packaged products to comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements. Therefore, labeling can be considered a prominent factor in the food industry. Apart from being transparent to consumers and abiding by FDA rules, these nutritional facts also help consumers choose healthy options or eliminate the portions that are not required.
However, to ensure accurate and FDA-compliant labels, one needs to contact a reliable organization offering nutritional labeling services. There are plenty of parameters associated with nutritional facts labels. This explores each of them and talks about the final steps to gain a nutritional fact label with ease.
Nutrition facts label – The basic parameters
Any packaged food with proper nutritional facts paves the way to aid better eating habits and balance energy levels. It’s pretty evident that foods with high sugar and fat content gravitate more people to consider it a favorite staple. Thus, it’s essential to understand the nutritional output of such foods. Such labels help consumers manage a wide array of diet and nutritional needs. The basic parameters are as follows –
● Calorie content and serving size
The nutritional facts are based on the number of portions to which the food package caters. Therefore, proper serving details are required to be accurate as it determines the whole process of fact labeling. If the package comes with multiple services, the nutritional facts are mentioned per serving. This helps consumers to decipher the calorie intake as well as the percentage of value from each nutrient.
● The sources of calories
The word calorie might just sound like mere nutritional information, but it’s energy. Therefore, it becomes crucial to know the sources where they come from as they vary a lot. Be it protein, fat, or carbohydrates, the calorie intake differs greatly depending upon one’s lifestyle or diet. Now, mentioning the sources and accurate value of calories help consumers maintain a healthy caloric intake. As suggested by experts, the daily caloric intake should be anywhere between 20 to 35%.
● Added sugar if any
Added sugar comes with no such health benefits but instead contributes to increases in calorie levels. For many consumers, high levels of sugar content are no less than a threat depending on their health conditions. Therefore, mentioning the additional or even the natural sugar content becomes necessary. Such labels carry out the best possible way to convey and alert the consumers about the sugar content of the particular products they are opting for.
● Fat content – The types and quantity
Fats are always a matter of concern for consumers. Food labels allow consumers to get a clear idea if a product’s fat content is good and healthy, or saturated, trans fat. Any food product which carries more than 20 Percent Daily Value is a high-fat food. At the same time, five or lower Percent Daily Value is considered to be a low-fat food.
● Sodium
Consumption of sodium more than the recommended quantity of 2,300 milligrams may result in hypertension. Talking about processed food products, the sodium content tends to be higher. Therefore, nutritional information consists of daily sodium intake values to avoid overdose.
The Steps Involved
Now, getting started with giving products, a nutrition label might feel like a daunting task, especially if an individual isn’t aware of the steps to start with. To help one with the same, there are several options to choose from who provide nutritional labeling services.
1. Fetching the nutritional information
A couple of ways can help an individual to identify the nutritional value of food products. Mentioned below are the following –
● Using natural databases – DIY solution
Natural databases are a kind of DIY type solution to help find the nutritional values of a food product. To do so, one needs to enter the ingredients and the serving quantity to find out the specific facts and figures. More than thousands of food and ingredients data are available on such applications, and the search can be performed using description, item name, or ingredients. However, several food items can’t be analyzed, and in such cases, there’s another way out – lab testing.
● Lab testing – The accurate choice
Of course, there’s a big difference between opting for natural databases and laboratory tests for food products to generate nutritional values. Lab testing comes with the benefit of accuracy. It carries an immense database of food along with food science technology to help individuals get perfect and faster results.
Such labs provide information based on each ingredient and the quantities used in the product under testing. Additionally, if the product is fried, salted, or coated, lab testing is the most viable option to go for because of the complexity of the product. The best part is that labs abide by the rules and regulations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); therefore, it gives individuals peace of mind in terms of results.
2. Abiding by FDA rules
The basic requirement of nutrition labeling by the FDA is to check the ingredients and allergens content of the products. The information provided should be accurate and presented in the FDA panel format.
It’s the responsibility of the food manufacturers to ensure the nutritional facts and align well with the FDA regulations. Though it’s unlikely that the FDA will conduct actions against minor errors, the manufacturer should give special attention to the facts and figures to avoid negative publicity or product recalls.
Now, this might be something that raises several doubts for food manufactures. Therefore, it’s always a wise idea to consult with FDA-certified professionals providing nutritional labeling services. It will minimize the chances of making a mistake and help save much time in the whole process.
3. Designing & Printing
Once ready with the required nutritional information, the final step involves designing and printing the food labels. Professional designers can be an ideal approach as they will make sure that the designs have a good hook and meet all the aspects for high-quality printing.
Conclusion
Finally, it can be said that reaching out to an adept professional who renders nutritional labeling services can help one get the job done with the desired level of perfection and efficiency, making the investment justified.
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