UPC and nutritional labels are staples in the food labeling industry. With checkout scanners as standard store equipment, and nutrition facts regulated by the FDA, these essential labels from Master Tape Printers meet a critical need for all food producers and sellers.
UPC (Universal Product Code), more commonly known as a barcode, and Nutrition labels are not as simple as one may first believe them to be. There are strict FDA food labeling criteria that food products need to meet. There are guidelines on what information needs to be included on a label and where. Here is a “food labeling guide” from the FDA updated January 2013 to help you determine what you will need on your UPC and nutrition labels. Please be aware that there may have been revisions to the FDA document since this posting.
If you are looking for a bottle label for alcoholic beverages, here is a helpful link from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and another link from them regarding beer. Please note that this information is very product specific and there are many different laws for different types of alcoholic beverages and the size of manufacturers.
UPC codes are decidedly less complicated regulation wise but also require a few considerations. Primarily, unless your company will solely sell your product online or in your own retail stores, you will need a unique UPC-A code from GS1, the non-profit organization that regulates UPC codes internationally. Your product may even need multiple types of barcodes depending on where it may be sold. You can find information about receiving UPC codes for your products at GS1’s website.
Considerations and Conditions for UPC and Nutrition Labels
UPC and Nutrition labels have to adhere securely under different and often challenging conditions. They must stick to plastic, glass, or other materials, which may be wet, frozen, refrigerated, or subject to high heat environments. Handling, product material, temperature conditions, humidity, and product shape affect performance. Some important considerations for UPC and nutrition labels are:
- The temperature the product will be stored at: Will it be refrigerated, room temperature, or frozen? Will there be moisture in the environment? Specialized labels with different adhesives are used for refrigerator and frozen items.
- The material of the product: Will it be going on an aluminum, steel, glass, or plastic product? Different types of adhesives are used to effectively attach a label to different types of materials.
- Shape of product: Labels that wrap around package corners may require a different adhesive and a flexible base material compared to labels that only attach to one side of a product.
- Placement of UPC and Nutrition labels on the packaging: The location of UPC labeling on a product can be extremely important. Not only should the label be easily scan able and uncovered by product flaps, but the label should also be in a location that is not prone to tearing, wear, or scrunching
- UPC design: Many brands are now creating compliant bar codes that are designed to enhance a brand’s image. For example, Jelly Belly has some jellybean shaped bar codes on their products and Nestlé’s line of Wonka candy has some of their barcodes shaped like waterfalls. Bar codes may even have different colors within them.
No matter which of these conditions or considerations are present, the customer, retailer, and manufacturer will need to know that the label will stay affixed, the UPC code scans properly, and the nutrition labels will carry all of the required information.
Master Tape Printers can meet any of your nutrition label and UPC printing needs and ensure that they communicate effectively, and adhere to the product.
Contact us to find out what type of label would be best suited for your needs!