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FCOS · Food Compliance OS

US Nutrition Facts labels (FDA)

The FDA's Nutrition Facts label has a precise, regulated format — column widths, type sizes, and updated nutrients. Here is what US-bound products need.

  • Required panel structure
  • Ingredient and allergen context
  • Review before export
  • PDF handoff for printers
Mango Juice 1L / USA · FDASample label
  • Nutrition Facts panel with %DV
  • Added sugars line
  • Serving size in household measures

At a glance

United States

Regulation
  • 21 CFR 101.9
Label format in FCOS
USA
Last updated
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Market guide

What this label needs before it goes on pack.

This guide is written for product, operations, QA, and regulatory teams who need the practical shape of a United States nutrition label.

The FDA format, updated

US nutrition labelling lives in 21 CFR 101.9, with the 2016 updated Nutrition Facts format now standard. The label declares per serving:

  • Calories (large, bold — a signature of the new format)
  • Total fat, saturated fat, trans fat
  • Cholesterol and sodium
  • Total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total sugars and added sugars (with %DV)
  • Protein
  • Vitamin D, calcium, iron, potassium (the updated mandatory micronutrients)

Serving sizes follow FDA's Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACC) and must reflect what people actually eat. Dual-column labels apply to packages that can be consumed in one or multiple sittings.

Format is not optional

The Nutrition Facts panel has prescribed typography and layout — hairlines, bold rules, point sizes, indents. Retailers and reviewers notice when it's off. That is exactly the kind of detail a label tool should get right for you.

How FCOS helps

Select USA as a market in FCOS and the label builder produces a US-style Nutrition Facts output from your product's structured nutrition data, ready for team review and PDF export.

This overview is general guidance, not legal advice. Final compliance always depends on your product and jurisdiction — confirm requirements with your regulatory counsel.

Built into FCOS

From product data to a reviewed United States label.

  1. Create the product record

    Enter ingredients, nutrition values, serving details, and the markets the SKU will sell in.

  2. Generate the market view

    FCOS uses the same product data to shape the label around the selected market format.

  3. Review, approve, export

    Keep reviewers in the loop, then export the approved label PDF for your team or partner.

Where it pays off

The difference between a label file and a label system.

P / 1

The market changes, but the product record stays the same.

Add United States as a market target without copying values into another spreadsheet or rebuilding the SKU from scratch.

P / 2

Review happens before the PDF leaves.

Editors prepare the label, reviewers approve the version, and the exported file reflects the version that passed review.

P / 3

Retailer and co-packer handoff gets cleaner.

Share a shelf-ready PDF generated from structured product data instead of screenshots, emails, or disconnected drafts.

Stack comparison

Today vs. with FCOS

Today vs. with FCOS
WorkTodayWith FCOS
Market dataTodayKept in docs, emails, or spreadsheetsWith FCOSUnited States sits on the product record
Review stateTodayHard to know which file is approvedWith FCOSApproval state stays with the label version
ExportTodayScreenshots and manually assembled PDFsWith FCOSPDF export comes from structured data
Multi-market workTodayCopy data into each formatWith FCOSReuse one product record across markets

Frequently asked questions

Which regulation defines the US Nutrition Facts label?

21 CFR 101.9 (FDA), using the updated format finalized in 2016 — larger calories, added sugars, and vitamin D/potassium as mandatory micronutrients.

Is added sugars labelling mandatory in the US?

Yes. The updated Nutrition Facts label must declare added sugars in grams and as a percent Daily Value.

How are US serving sizes determined?

By FDA Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed (RACC). Serving sizes must reflect amounts people customarily consume, not recommended portions.

Can FCOS generate a US-format label?

Yes. Pick USA as a market and FCOS generates a US-style Nutrition Facts output you can review and export as a PDF.

Keep exploring

Other market guides

Explore market guides

  • Europe (EU)

    EU nutrition declarations (Regulation 1169/2011)

Build your United States label in minutes.

Try the FCOS label builder free. Pick United States as the market and see the label take shape from structured nutrition data.

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