Key Takeaways
- Use standardized references and tools like MenuSano to ensure accurate and consistent serving sizes.
- Avoid allergen mislabeling by clearly highlighting allergens and implementing cross-contamination safeguards.
- Stay compliant by staying informed about updated regulations and auditing labels regularly.
- Update labels promptly after recipe changes using integrated software like MenuSano.
Accurate nutrition labelling is a cornerstone of compliance and customer trust. With regulations evolving and consumers becoming increasingly conscious about their health, businesses must ensure their nutrition labels meet high standards. Here are some of the most common nutrition labelling mistakes and some actionable solutions to avoid them.
1. Miscalculating Serving Sizes
Serving sizes are a foundational element of nutrition labels. Many companies underestimate or overestimate serving sizes, which leads to inaccuracies that confuse consumers and risk regulatory action.
How to Avoid This Nutrition Labelling Mistake
- Use Standardized References: Refer to guidelines like those provided by the FDA or Health Canada to determine accurate serving sizes.
- Weigh and Test: Consistently measure products to ensure serving sizes reflect what consumers will realistically consume.
- Double-Check Formulas: Ensure all calculations based on serving sizes are consistent across products.
How MenuSano Can Help
MenuSano offers accurate serving size calculations and ensures consistency through automated tools, eliminating guesswork and manual errors.
2. Omitting Essential Nutrients
Failing to include key nutrient information such as dietary fibre, sugars, or certain vitamins can mislead consumers and fail to meet regulatory requirements.
How to Avoid This Nutrition Labelling Mistake
- Follow Regulatory Guidelines: Be familiar with required nutrient declarations for your region.
- Conduct Laboratory Testing: Use accredited labs to analyze your product’s nutrient profile for accurate reporting.
- Automate Labelling: Invest in nutrition analysis software like MenuSano to reduce human error.
How MenuSano Can Help
MenuSano streamlines nutrient declarations by generating precise and compliant nutrition labels based on your recipe data.
3. Mislabeling Allergens
Allergen mislabeling is one of the most critical errors, often resulting in recalls and severe consumer health risks.
How to Avoid This Nutrition Labelling Mistake
- Understand Mandatory Allergen Lists: Know which allergens (e.g., nuts, soy, and gluten) must be declared in your region.
- Clearly Highlight Allergens: Use bold text or a “Contains” statement to clearly list allergens.
- Control Cross-Contamination: Implement rigorous quality control processes to minimize cross-contact risks.
How MenuSano Can Help
MenuSano allows you to select the allergens in your recipes and add them to the labels, ensuring clear and accurate allergen declarations.
4. Inconsistent Formatting
Nutrition labels with inconsistent fonts, layouts, or terminology create confusion and appear unprofessional.
How to Avoid This Nutrition Labelling Mistake
- Use Templates: Adhere to pre-approved templates provided by regulatory bodies.
- Standardize Across Products: Ensure all products follow the same formatting guidelines.
- Review Before Printing: Always have labels reviewed by a professional or regulatory expert before finalizing.
How MenuSano Can Help
MenuSano provides pre-formatted and compliant templates and ensures uniformity across all your labels, ensuring regulatory compliance.
5. Incorrect Calorie Calculations
Incorrectly calculating calories per serving can mislead consumers and result in non-compliance.
How to Avoid This Nutrition Labelling Mistake
- Use Approved Methods: Employ standardized methods for calculating calories, including Atwater factors.
- Cross-Verify Data: Double-check calorie data against ingredient breakdowns and testing results.
- Update Regularly: When recipes change, ensure calorie calculations are updated promptly.
How MenuSano Can Help
MenuSano provides accurate calorie calculations, ensuring compliance and reducing errors.
6. Ignoring Updated Regulations
Nutrition labelling laws are dynamic, therfore ignoring new regulations can lead to fines and product recalls.
How to Avoid This Nutrition Labelling Mistake
- Stay Informed: Subscribe to newsletters or updates from regulatory authorities.
- Audit Labels Frequently: Periodically review your labels to ensure compliance.
- Consult Experts: Work with labelling compliance professionals to remain ahead of regulatory changes.
How MenuSano Can Help
MenuSano keeps you informed with updated regulations and helps you adjust labels seamlessly, staying compliant with the latest requirements.
7. Failing to Update Labels for Reformulated Products
Failing to update the corresponding nutrition label can result in inaccuracies when recipes change.
How to Avoid This Nutrition Labelling Mistake
- Implement Version Control: Maintain a record of label versions linked to recipe changes.
- Audit Labels Post-Reformulation: Test and update nutrition labels immediately after product reformulation.
- Streamline Workflow: Use software solutions that integrate recipe updates with label changes.
How MenuSano Can Help
MenuSano integrates recipe management with labelling, and as a result, it can help you to automatically update labels when products are reformulated.
8. Overlooking Multilingual Labelling Requirements
Failing to provide accurate translations for products sold in multilingual regions can lead to consumer confusion and regulatory issues.
How to Avoid This Nutrition Labelling Mistake
- Understand Local Laws: Know your target markets’ requirements for bilingual or multilingual labelling.
- Hire Professional Translators: Avoid automated translations; use human translators with expertise in food labelling.
- Double-Check Translations: Verify translated content for accuracy and compliance.
How MenuSano Can Help
MenuSano supports bilingual label creation (English and Spanish, English and French), ensuring compliance with regional requirements and eliminating translation errors.
How MenuSano Can Help Food Manufacturers Avoid These Mistakes
MenuSano is an innovative software solution that simplifies nutrition labelling for food manufacturers by automating nutrient analysis and providing templates that are compliant with the FDA and Canada’s CFIA. Therefore, by using MenuSano, food businesses can minimize the risk of human error. Moreover, the platform integrates seamlessly with recipe management, ensuring accurate and up-to-date labels for reformulated products. Additionally, MenuSano offers allergen labelling, serving size calculations, and bilingual support, making it a comprehensive tool for labelling compliance and efficiency, and helps you avoid nutrition labelling mistakes.
Nutrition labelling is critical to food product compliance and customer trust. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can ensure your labels are accurate, compliant, and transparent, ultimately protecting your brand and fostering consumer confidence.
