Consumers are confused. In an era of information overload, consumers don’t know what’s accurate or who to trust. In a world where social media influencers and their diet trends are trusted more than medical professionals, it’s essential for you to be able to convey your products’ nutritional information clearly and simply. Because consumers are presented with so much information on nutrition facts labels, the FDA has decided that the layout will be redesigned to make nutritional information easier to digest. Here’s what you need to know about the changes to nutrition facts labels:
What’s the reasoning behind the change?: The current label format is over 20 years old. In those 20 years, new scientific information, public health research and dietary recommendations from experts have changed what we know about food. The new label format is designed to make this information clear for consumers, in turn making it easier for them to make smart food purchases.
How does the label format change?: The new label format utilizes larger and bolder fonts to draw attention to calorie content, servings per container and serving size. The actual amount of mandatory vitamins and minerals must be displayed alongside the daily value. Total grams of added sugars must be shown beneath the total sugars (certain sugars such as honey and maple syrup are only required to be included the daily value, not as an added sugar). The label footnote will also provide an explanation of daily values based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet. New serving sizes may increase or decrease but must be based on how much people consume on average instead of how much they should be consuming. Products that can either be consumed in one sitting or multiple sittings must have dual column that display information for multiple serving sizes.
When is the deadline to comply? Companies with $10 million or more in annual sales must use the new label format by January 1, 2020. Companies under $10 million in annual sales have until January 1, 2021. Manufacturers of single-ingredient sugars like honey and maple syrup and certain cranberry products have until July 1, 2021 (manufacturers of certain types of flavored dried cranberries must comply by July 1, 2020).
If you have existing inventory that won’t meet the new labeling regulations, we have solutions for you. With our services you won’t need to manufacture new products just to comply with these new labeling standards. At Tyler Distribution, our value-added services department can relabel your existing retail units or repack your items into new cases to ensure compliance. Don’t let your products out into the marketplace without the correct labels, for help with this contact Tyler Distribution today.