FDA Nutrition Label Font and Formatting Rules

A Nutrition Facts label can have every number right and still be out of compliance because the type is too small, or the wrong lines are bold. The formatting rules are in 21 CFR 101.9(d). FDA also "strongly recommends" the graphic specifications in Appendix B to Part 101, which set out the exact layout. This guide summarizes the rules you can check yourself.

The general rules for every label

Under 101.9(d)(1), all information in the panel must use:

• A single, easy-to-read type style. No mixing script and sans-serif, and no condensed novelty fonts.
• Upper- and lower-case letters, not all caps, except where the rules allow it on tiny packages.
• At least 1 point of leading (space between lines). Nutrient lines and vitamin and mineral lines need at least 4 points of leading.
• Letters that never touch. Tight tracking that makes letters touch is a violation.

The information must be enclosed in a box made with hairlines.

Minimum type sizes

On the standard vertical label:

For tabular and linear displays on small packages, "Calories" can drop to 10 point and the number to 14 point.

What must be bold, and what must not

Under 101.9(d)(1)(iv), these must be bold or extra bold:

• The headings: "Nutrition Facts", "Serving size", "Amount per serving", and "% Daily Value*"
• The names of nutrients that aren't indented: Calories, Total Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium, Total Carbohydrate, Protein
• The %DV figures

No other information may be highlighted. Don't bold "Saturated Fat", "Dietary Fiber", or your vitamin lines. Reverse printing, such as white text on a black bar, is not allowed as a form of highlighting.

Rules, bars and the box

Appendix B and 101.9(d) call for:

• A hairline rule between "Nutrition Facts" and the servings line, and between each nutrient line
• A heavy bar beneath the serving size, beneath the calorie line, and above the vitamins and minerals
• A further bar above the footnote

Exact bar weights are in Appendix B. If your design software can't reproduce them, use a label tool that follows the FDA template, rather than redrawing the panel by hand.

Color and background

The label must be all black or one color, printed on a white or other neutral contrasting background whenever practical. A brand-colored panel on a bright background is a common problem. If you print in one color, such as navy on cream, keep the contrast strong.

Small and intermediate packages

For packages with 40 square inches or less of available labeling space, 101.9(j)(13) allows:

• The tabular format, or the linear format if the label can't fit a tabular display
• Abbreviations, such as "Serv size", "Sat fat", "Total carb", and "Cholest"
• Dropping the footnote, or replacing it with "% DV = % Daily Value"

For packages with less than 12 square inches of available space, nutrition labeling isn't required unless you make claims. If you add it voluntarily, or because of a claim, the information can be as small as 6 point, or all caps at least 1/16 inch tall. Either way, the label must show a phone number or address where consumers can get the nutrition information.

Our tabular and linear formats are built for these cases. See also our guide to linear labels.

Bilingual labels

When nutrition labeling appears in a second language, 101.9(d)(14) gives two options:

• A separate label for each language
• One label with the second language following the English, as in "Protein/Proteínas 2 g"

Numbers that are the same in both languages don't need repeating. Every required element must appear in both languages. Our English–Spanish format follows the single-label approach, and our bilingual guide walks through it.

Where the panel can't be squeezed

If a vertical label won't fit, FDA allows alternatives:

• The tabular display
• The side-by-side micronutrients variation, which lists vitamins and minerals in two columns
• For larger packages with limited vertical space, the [tabular format](/labels/tabular-format/) for intermediate packages

Choose these over shrinking the type below the minimums.

A pre-print checklist

• [ ] One typeface throughout, in upper and lower case
• [ ] "Nutrition Facts" larger than everything except the calorie number
• [ ] "Calories" at least 16 pt bold, and the number at least 22 pt bold
• [ ] Nutrient lines at least 8 pt, with 4 pt leading
• [ ] Only the permitted items in bold. No reverse type.
• [ ] Hairlines and heavy bars in the right places
• [ ] Black or one color on a white or neutral background
• [ ] The final print size checked at 100%, not on screen

Formatting the newer label elements

The 2016 update added elements that older templates often get wrong:

• "Includes X g Added Sugars" is indented further than Total Sugars, and isn't bolded.
• Vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium show the amount and the %DV, as in "Vitamin D 2 mcg 10%". Vitamin D is in micrograms, not IU.
• Serving size is bold, and larger than the servings-per-container line in FDA's sample label.
• The footnote is the short "2,000 calories a day…" version, not the old table of 2,000- and 2,500-calorie values.

Common design mistakes

1. Squeezing letter spacing to fit a narrow panel, until letters touch.
2. Using a light or thin font weight, so the bold items barely stand out.
3. Putting the panel over a photo or pattern.
4. Using white text on a black bar for "Nutrition Facts". That's reverse printing.
5. Scaling the whole panel down after layout, which pushes type below the minimums. Check the size on a printed proof.

Multi-column labels

Dual-column, two-forms, and aggregate labels follow the same minimum type sizes in every column. Extra columns make a label wider. They don't let you shrink the type. If width is the problem, a tabular layout is usually the better answer than smaller text.