Got An Awesome Sauce You Want To Sell? Here's What You Need On Your Bottle Labels
Posted on: 24 April 2015
If you created a sauce recipe everyone loves, your friends and family may have suggested you bottle your amazing sauce to sell it. You took their suggestions, came up with a business plan, got financing and all the ingredients and bottles you need. You're all set to start preparing and bottling your sauce… except one thing—the bottle labels.
There are several very important pieces of information you need to include on your bottle labels or you could face lawsuits from personal injury claims. Some people with serious health conditions need to know what's in your sauce and how to contact you for more information about your recipe and preparation practices. Here's what you need to include to prevent a lawsuit.
Give nutrition information
Nutrition information is important to those who suffer from medical ailments such as diabetes, heart conditions and celiac disease, among many others. It's also important to those who watch their waistlines. More importantly, you are required by the Food and Drug Administration to include nutritional information about your product.
This information should include the ingredients list as well as the nutrient content contained in your product. The guidelines and regulations are stringent, but don't get overwhelmed by it. It's easier to determine than you think. Contact your local universities to find a laboratory testing facility to test your new food product.
Ask the testing facility for a nutritional facts panel for your sauce. You will need to provide the list of ingredients and their quantities. You may be asked to provide two samples of your sauce. One sample will be the final product and the other sample may be the sauce with some ingredients omitted. You will receive instructions on how to send in the samples.
Include food allergen warnings
Food allergies are very serious and sometimes life-threatening. Your potential customers with food allergies would rather not take the chance of eating your sauce if they aren't completely certain they will not be exposed to the food allergen that could cost them their lives. Every year, 300,000 people need emergency care because of food allergies and 150 die from the allergic reactions.
Include these most prevalent food allergens in your labeling: milk, eggs, shellfish, soybean, wheat, tree nuts and peanuts. Even if you prepare one sauce without any of those food allergens but another sauce with one or more, you may want to label the product as having been processed in a facility that processes a food allergen. This, however, is not a requirement.
Many people with food allergens will contact food manufacturers to be certain the food they want to eat is safe for them. However, some would rather not bother and simply put the bottle or package back on the shelf. Include "may contain" information so you don't lose any potential customers.
Provide your contact information
Food allergy sufferers aren't the only ones who may need or want to contact you regarding your sauce. Retailers may discover your sauce and want to put it on their shelves. But, without your contact information on the bottle label, they may not be able to find you. Since you probably don't want to miss out on help with increasing your customer base, it's a good idea to include your contact information on your label. Include your business name, mailing address, phone number, email address and website.
It's important to adhere to the regulations set forth by the FDA when it comes to labeling your bottles of sauce so you don't risk fines. More importantly, however, is the safety of your customers. Without proper labeling, you could risk being hit with lawsuits from people unknowingly exposing themselves to a food that could cause them to have a medical emergency. Also, good labeling practices can help you increase your customer base. It's a win-win for you and your customers.
Check out sites like http://www.northwestlabel.com/ that can help you get your labels made.
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