The FDA’s nutrition facts panel updates are consumer driven. Consumers are demanding transparency from their preferred brands so they can make more informed buying decisions.
The FDA’s nutrition facts panel update represents a fantastic opportunity for food brands who want to capture market share by educating consumers about their products and their nutritional value. We’ve gone ahead and made a short-list of things you can do to leverage the nutrition label updates and turn a burdensome regulation into a marketable opportunity.
5 Simple Steps to Get the Most of Nutrition Panel Updates:
1. Know what your customers expect from your brand
Pay close attention to the required changes to the nutrition panel, they offer valuable consumer insights. Determine which of your products speak to nutritional attributes and talk about it. Do your products compete in certain categories better than your competitor products do? Are they lower in calories? Made with natural or organic ingredients? Do they meet gluten-free, Keto, or Paleo lifestyle attributes? If so, make sure to list it on your packaging. Shoppers are checking specialty food labels now, more than ever before. Are you well aligned?
2. Anticipate changes to serving sizes
Serving sizes must be updated to reflect an ‘actual’ serving size. After all, who eats exactly 28 nuts? No-one. What will those changes look like for your brand? How will consumers respond to your nutrition label when the nutritionals reflect true to life serving sizes? Smart brands are getting ahead of these changes now and some are reformulating better-for-you recipes in preparation for the serving size nutrition panel changes.
3. Revamp your labels and redesign them once
Determine if other label design changes can be made at the same time you are updating your nutrition panels. Which of your packaging elements are critical to your product? What attributes can be removed? Does your label design speak to health-conscious consumers looking for products that fit their lifestyle? Today’s consumers want clean labels, short ingredients panels and food that is flavorful and nutritious.
4. Assemble the right team
Get all the stakeholders on board and work as a team. Being able to coordinate all the packaging components is a group effort. Make sure your quality assurance team is working in tandem with your designers, marketing department and label printers to stay ahead of curveballs, lessen lead times, and meet compliance regulations.
5. Request printed label proofs before you place an order
Packaging changes can be exciting. Nothing feels better than seeing the finished product hit store shelves with updated packaging but resist the urge to rush. Nutrition labels can be intricate and crisp lettering is imperative to consumers who want to find the information easily. There is no better way to make sure your design translates well, and is legible, than to request a digitally printed label proof before you place your order.
For expert advice on printing custom labels for specialty foods that meet the FDA’s standard of compliance please contact sales@imageteklabels.com.