For every food category, the FDA has determined a Recommended Amount Customarily Consumed, otherwise known as the ̈RACC ̈.
RACC AND HOUSEHOLD MEASURE
These RACC tables include a “Reference Amount” for each type of item. The tables also include guidance for how to express the Reference Amount as a “Household Measure” (a measure that consumers are more familiar with, such as tablespoons or “slices”). Some examples of Household Measures include:
Cups or teaspoons for items such as flour or cereal
Fluid ounces for beverages
Unit measures such as “3 muffins” or “1/2 slice”
“1 bag” or “1 can” for products in smaller packages or containers
The Reference Amount and the Household Measure are both necessary to determine the serving size of a product.
A lot of products do not comply with FDA’s defined RACC. It is important to know where your food product falls within these categories, and what is required by law for you to determine an appropriate serving size before you create your label.
Here are some important points to consider while calculating your product’s RACC
Correct order of ingredients – nutritional labels are created based on a product’s recipe, and the ingredients must be stated in order of predominance (from greatest to smallest) by weight. So it is important to have a recipe by weight in order to have nutritional information.
Update your labels for the "New Nutritional Format" - The nutrients that are now required on Nutrition Fact labels have been changed since 2016 and these regulations have different effects for manufacturers who earn $10 million or more in annual sales. Here’s a link to learn more about these new regulations: https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/changes-nutrition-facts-label
Know when you need a Nutrition Label with Dual Columns? – Whenever a food container contains between 200 -300% of the RACC, a dual column label is required, displaying the nutritional information by serving size and by container. For example – The RACC for ice cream is 2/3 of a cup. So if ice cream is sold in a container which is anywhere between 1 1/3 cups and a 2 cups (1 pint).
FDA labeling requires that serving sizes be roughly standardized so that customers can easily make health-based comparisons between similar products. If products were able to list any serving size, this could be exploited to distort nutrition information.
In order to have a compliant FDA nutrition label, your product must follow this requirement.
The process of finding out what your serving size should be may be a little confusing or even intimidating, you don’t have to worry, we at Roybal Food Consulting are here to help! You’ll have the support you need to make sure your FDA labeling is compliant with regulations. From helping you to use RACC tables, correctly identify the best RACC for your product, and calculate the serving size for your new nutrition labeling.
Schedule your free consultation today to learn more about the process.
댓글