Brands have had to pull food products off shelves not because of contamination or allergen scares, but because their labels didn\u2019t meet the food labeling requirements for their product category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some common foods are deceptively difficult to label because regulatory classifications, standards of identity, and which government agency regulates them create hidden traps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This article walks through 6 of the trickiest foods to label namely: ice cream, beef jerky, kombucha, foods in brine, chicken & beef broth and hot sauce.If you\u2019re struggling with a tricky food to label and you\u2019re unsure of its food labeling requirements, reach out to one of our regulatory experts<\/a> who can create a fully compliant nutrition label for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Food Labeling Requirements At A Glance: The 6 Hardest Foods To Label<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nFood<\/strong><\/td> Regulating agency<\/strong><\/td> Key regulation<\/strong><\/td> Primary labeling risk<\/strong><\/td><\/tr> Hot sauce<\/td> FDA<\/td> 21 CFR 101.12<\/a> (RACC)<\/td> 1-teaspoon serving size distorts sodium values and tempts invalid \u201clow sodium\u201d claims<\/td><\/tr> Ice cream<\/td> FDA<\/td> 21 CFR 135.110<\/a> (standard of identity)<\/td> Product can\u2019t legally be called \u201cice cream\u201d if it fails milkfat, milk solids, or weight thresholds<\/td><\/tr> Brined foods<\/td> FDA<\/td> 21 CFR 101.9(b)<\/a> (packing medium)<\/td> Sodium migrates from brine into food; raw ingredient data dramatically understates sodium<\/td><\/tr> Kombucha<\/td> FDA \/ TTB<\/a><\/td> 0.5% ABV threshold<\/td> Post-bottling fermentation can push product past 0.5% ABV, changing regulatory jurisdiction<\/td><\/tr> Chicken & beef broth<\/td> USDA<\/td> 9 CFR 317<\/a>, 319<\/a><\/td> Wrong agency jurisdiction means wrong label format; \u201cbone broth\u201d has no legal standard of identity<\/td><\/tr> Beef jerky<\/td> USDA<\/td> 9 CFR 319<\/a> (moisture-protein ratio)<\/td> Must meet 0.75:1 ratio to use \u201cjerky\u201d name; nutrition must reflect dehydrated product, not raw<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n