Short answerTo make a nutrition label, find the nutrients in one serving, enter them here with the serving size, and the food nutrition label maker rounds every number and works out the % Daily Value the way FDA rules require. Download it as PNG or SVG, or choose Blank to print an empty Nutrition Facts template.
How to make a nutrition label
Want to make your own nutrition label for a bake sale, a farmers market stall or a small brand? It takes five steps:
- Get the numbers. Either send a sample to a food lab, or calculate it from your recipe using a nutrient database like USDA FoodData Central. The recipe nutrition calculator adds up common ingredients and sends the result here, and our calorie converter helps with the calories from grams. Changing batch size? Resize it first with the recipe scaler.
- Pick a serving size. Use the amount people usually eat at one time, in a household measure plus grams, like "1 bar (40g)" or "2/3 cup (55g)". FDA sets reference amounts for most food types.
- Enter the nutrients per serving. Type the raw values; the nutrition facts maker handles the rounding.
- Add ingredients and allergens to make an ingredients label too.
- Download your custom nutrition label as PNG or SVG, or print it.
The tool also checks your numbers. If saturated and trans fat add up to more than total fat, or your calories are far from what the protein, carbs and fat suggest, it warns you before you print.
Blank nutrition label
Pick "Blank label" at the top and you get blank Nutrition Facts with every line in place but no numbers. Teachers use a blank nutrition food label for classroom worksheets, and home cooks use it to fill in by hand. It downloads and prints just like a filled one.
Vertical vs horizontal nutritional facts
The vertical label is the standard one you see on most packages. FDA allows a horizontal format, with the nutrients in columns beside the calories, when a package doesn't have enough height for the vertical version, such as on a wide, flat bar wrapper. This nutrition fact label generator makes both from the same numbers, so you can switch and compare.
How the label rounds your numbers
Nutrition Facts labels don't show exact values. FDA rules say how to round each one, and this nutritional label maker applies them automatically:
| Nutrient | Rounding |
|---|---|
| Calories | Under 5: 0. Up to 50: nearest 5. Above 50: nearest 10. |
| Total, saturated and trans fat | Under 0.5 g: 0. Under 5 g: nearest 0.5 g. 5 g or more: nearest 1 g. |
| Cholesterol | Under 2 mg: 0. 2 to 5 mg: "less than 5mg". Above 5: nearest 5 mg. |
| Sodium | Under 5 mg: 0. 5 to 140 mg: nearest 5 mg. Above 140: nearest 10 mg. |
| Carbs, fiber, sugars, protein | Under 0.5 g: 0. Under 1 g: "less than 1g". 1 g or more: nearest 1 g. |
| % DV for vitamins and minerals | Nearest 2% up to 10%, nearest 5% up to 50%, nearest 10% above. Under 2%: 0%. |
Daily Values used for %DV
| Nutrient | Daily Value |
|---|---|
| Total fat | 78 g |
| Saturated fat | 20 g |
| Cholesterol | 300 mg |
| Sodium | 2,300 mg |
| Total carbohydrate | 275 g |
| Dietary fiber | 28 g |
| Added sugars | 50 g |
| Vitamin D | 20 mcg |
| Calcium | 1,300 mg |
| Iron | 18 mg |
| Potassium | 4,700 mg |
Protein has a Daily Value of 50 g, but a %DV for protein is only required when a product makes a protein claim or is meant for children under 4, so the label leaves it blank. Trans fat and total sugars have no Daily Value. For the daily targets behind these numbers, see the fiber calculator and the fat intake calculator. The Daily Values assume 2,000 calories a day; our 2000 calorie meal plan shows that in meals.
Ingredient label maker: what to list
- List every ingredient in descending order by weight, heaviest first.
- Use the common name ("sugar", not "sucrose").
- For ingredients made of other ingredients, list those in brackets, like "chocolate chips (sugar, cocoa butter, milk)".
- Declare the major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. A "Contains:" line under the ingredients is the usual way.
The nutrition label maker with ingredients prints both blocks under the Nutrition Facts box, ready to place on your package.
Do you need a label to sell food?
In the U.S., most packaged foods need a Nutrition Facts label. Some very small businesses are exempt, for example based on annual sales or low production volume, and some of those exemptions require filing a notice with FDA. Even exempt products must have an ingredient list and allergen declaration. If you lose the exemption by making a nutrition or health claim, the full label comes back.
A nutritional facts generator like this one formats a label from the numbers you give it. Getting the numbers right is up to you: FDA expects nutrients like calories, sugars, fat and sodium to be no more than 20% above the declared amount. If you're selling a product, check your state rules and the FDA guidance listed below. If you want to understand what each line means for shoppers, read how to read a nutrition facts label.
Nutrition label maker FAQ
How do I make a nutrition label?
Work out the nutrients in one serving from a lab test or a nutrient database, enter them with the serving size and servings per container, and the label maker applies the FDA rounding rules and % Daily Values for you. Then download the label as PNG or SVG.
Can I get a blank nutrition label?
Yes. Choose the Blank format and download or print it. It's useful for teaching, worksheets or filling in by hand.
What goes in the ingredient list?
Every ingredient, listed in descending order by weight, using common names. Major allergens such as milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish and sesame must be declared.
When can I use a horizontal nutrition facts label?
FDA allows the horizontal format when a package doesn't have enough vertical space for the standard vertical label.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 21 CFR 101.9, Nutrition labeling of food (formats, rounding, Daily Values).
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Changes to the Nutrition Facts label.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Small business nutrition labeling exemption.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Food allergies: the major food allergens.