Food label compliance, made clearer

FDA's 21 CFR 101.9(j) exempts some small businesses from the Nutrition Facts panel requirement. The thresholds are specific, the annual notice is easy to miss, and one claim on the label voids it instantly.

Lab analysis, database software, and done-for-you services each get you a Nutrition Facts label at different prices and with different results. Here is what each approach actually costs.

Most packaged foods have no federal requirement to carry a date. California AB 660 changed that for products sold there as of July 1, 2026, and Canada works differently again. Here is what applies to your product.

The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard has been mandatory since January 1, 2022, but many first-time food founders still don't know it applies to them. Here is what 7 CFR Part 66 actually requires.

Most founders get the net quantity statement wrong on placement, type size, or units. What 21 CFR 101.7 requires, and where the common mistakes happen.

Most food founders assume FDA regulates their label. If your product contains meat, poultry, or processed egg ingredients, a different agency is in charge, with different rules and a mandatory approval step FDA does not require.

The Nutrition Facts panel requires correct format as well as correct data. 21 CFR 101.9 specifies element order, panel variation, and type constraints.

Low fat, good source, and low sodium are regulated terms. Using them without meeting the FDA thresholds in 21 CFR 101.13 makes the label non-compliant.

FDA 21 CFR 101.4 specifies the exact rules for ingredient order, naming, and disclosure. Most founders only discover the gaps at the review stage.

Gluten-free is a regulated claim under 21 CFR 101.91 and Health Canada FDR B.24.018. Rules differ between the two systems and affect your label.

There are nine major allergens under US law, not eight. FDA and CFIA have different requirements for declaring them on a compliant label.

FDA sets exact placement rules for your food label. Each required element has a designated panel, and getting it wrong means redesigning the artwork.

A US food label fails several Canadian requirements. Bilingual text, Health Canada FOP symbol, and CFIA ingredient rules each require changes.

FDA determines your serving size before you design a label. The RACC system has specific rules, and first-time founders routinely get them wrong.

Why food labels are now a compliance strategy, not just packaging, and the five changes brands need to watch in 2026.

Five food label compliance failures North American brands repeat most often, and the FDA 21 CFR and CFIA rules that govern each one.