Using the New Nutrition Facts Rules to Your Advantage

Back in May, we wrote about some of the most important changes to federal nutrition labeling rules in at least two decades. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had just announced that new Nutrition Facts labels would emphasize calorie counts and added sugars, and be based on serving sizes that reflect the amount of food that Americans typically eat on a daily basis.

Any change to nutrition labeling rules will give food and beverage makers pause.

Any change to nutrition labeling rules is enough to give food and beverage makers pause. After all, the new labels may make certain products appear less healthy than they did previously, leading to reduced sales. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

As Packaging Digest noted, big label redesign is an opportunity to rebrand products in a way that will elicit positive responses from consumers.

Here are some ideas to consider:

• Figure out which nutritional claims best resonate with your audience: Before the FDA’s change, many serving sizes listed on nutrition labels were unrealistically small. Now, they’re getting a boost. For instance, the FDA says that standard serving sizes for ice cream will be two-thirds of a cup, rather than one-half of a cup. If you produce frozen dairy treats, this may make it more difficult to claim that your product is “low fat” or “low sugar” on the label, so take a different tack. Why not claim that your product is high in protein instead? If you know your audience, you can create product labels that appeal to them.
• Embrace clean labeling: Food Business News called “clean labeling” one of the trends of the year, and there’s a good reason for that. Consumers are tired of reading ingredient lists packed with complicated names that they don’t understand. Clean labeling means removing as many artificial ingredients as possible and replacing them with natural, easy-to-understand additives. If you’re going to redesign your product’s labeling anyway, why not try to simplify it?
• Redesign your packaging in tandem with new labels: One of the requirements of the new nutrition labeling rule is for labels to contain bolder fonts that highlight calories and added sugars. But if a product’s nutrition label is going to get a new look, why not completely redesign the entire package and create something that really stands out? Use big, bright colors so the consumer is looking at the entire design.

It’s absolutely crucial for food and beverage companies to have the printing capabilities necessary to adhere to new regulations and also improve their product designs. Durafast offers printing solutions that help you produce exactly what you are looking for in a cost-effective manner. Contact us today!