What Are The FDA Packaging Requirements For Cereal?

Cereals are one of the favourite breakfasts in Canada. According to recent stats, almost 78% of Canadians love to eat cereal for breakfast because it is low in calories and full of nutrients. This is what we all believe. But is that really true? How will we know what we are eating in the form of cereal?

That is why the FDA Packaging (Food and Drug Administration) was formed. It is responsible for protecting public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, the nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. We at CustomBoxesMarket.Ca provide the best quality label packaging.

If you are a cereal business owner you need to get your cereal recipe approved by the FDA. There are certain FDA Packaging and Labeling requirements that you must follow. In this blog, we will get into the details of FDA packaging.

Information Requirements For Cereal

According to the Food and Drug Administration, all the food items in the market require labels so that the consumer can look up at the labels and know what they are consuming in the form of their favourite food item. This is also a very convenient way to know whether the food item they are consuming is free from any allergy that they might have. The following details are required by FDA packaging and labeling:

• Product Name
• Name And Address Of Manufacturer
• Product Weight
• Ingredients Used
• Number Of Servings Per Product
• Serving Size
• Nutrition Facts
• Expiration Date
• Any Allergy Causing Food
• Barcode

Product Name

It is mandatory that the product name should appear on the PDP (Principal display panel), as it is the first thing the customer will see while shopping. The product name must be the common name of the item along with the unique manufacturer name.

Name And Address Of Manufacturer

The name and address of the manufacturer must emerge on the information panel. It is the area, right to the PDP as the customer views it.

Product Weight

The food manufacturers must mention the product’s weight according to the food type, for if the food item is solid, semi-solid, or viscous foods in weight formats like grams, ounces, and liquid food items in measurements like ounces or milliliters.

Ingredients Used

The ingredients list of food items should appear on the information panel. It is mandatory to include every individual ingredient in the eco-friendly cereal packaging listed in descending order of predominance or weight. Artificial flavours and preservatives in the food item should also be mentioned in the ingredients list.

Number Of Servings Per Product

This part of the food items displays the total number of servings that the product contains in it. To know how long the food item may last depending on the serving it contains.

Serving Size

The serving size is also listed on the information panel, which is the amount of the product that contains the daily values described in the nutrition facts section. It helps the customer know what portion is best for them to consume.

Nutrition Facts

This is the most important section of the food packaging. Nutrition facts help the consumer to figure out their nutrition intake through the table. It contains the nutritional value of food items such as:

• Calories
• Total fat
• Cholesterol
• Sodium
• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Vitamins
• Minerals

Expiration Date

It is necessary to mention the expiration date of a food item, it tells us when the product is in good condition to use. It can be severely harmful to consume such products that do not have any expiration on them. You cannot tell whether it is safe to consume or not.

Any Allergy Causing Food

FDA Packaging requires you to make known if there is any allergy-causing food item present in the product.  Some common allergy-causing foods are:

• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Crustacean shellfish
• Fish
• Soy
• Eggs
• Milk

Above mentioned food items are a common type of allergy that most of the customers have. Customers should carefully check the custom packaging labels before buying if they have allergies apart from the mentioned ones.

Barcode

A barcode is specific for every product. It must appear on the label. Retailers use the barcode to scan the product during customer checkout in stores to keep track of inventory, Product authenticity, pricing, and other data. 

Conclusion

Make sure that the product you are purchasing, and its packaging and labeling are compliant with FDA Packaging and Labeling requirements. These FDA packaging requirements ensure customers get the best products with the best information.

This information is essential for customers to make educated and correct decisions about the products they choose and use. It helps them take care of their health. And this will give a good impression of your product to the customers.